GENERAL DESCRIPTION This comprehensive reference is the first to cover industrially important borates, from deposits, through chemistry, mining, processing, and applications. The reference work begins with a listing of the 238 currently known borate minerals, their formulas, and properties. It features modern theories on the origin of borate deposits, their molecular structure and detailed descriptions of the world's borate deposits. Garrett describes the fascinating history of the discovery and development of borate deposits with anecdotes of how resourceful operators overcame obstacles in obtaining their minerals. Chapters on mining technology and processing detail the mineral's development from the earliest recorded times up to the sophisticated operations of the present day. The book also contains a comprehensive literature on boron isotope chemistry, their diverse applications, and productions and resource statistics for the world's largest industrial producers. KEY FEATURES Functions as a complete reference for geologists, engineers, and consumers of borate products Includes crystallographic descriptions, solution chemistry, isotopic distributions, and other properties of 170 borate minerals Provides detailed descriptions of mining and processing methods and economic uses Includes statistical data on borate production, consumption, prices, and ore reserves for every country of the world Provides an extensive bibliography Author is an authority on industrial minerals through many years of consulting and process development work Review The book contains a wealth of information on worldwide borate deposits and their site geology that most earth scientists, or anyone interested in borates, would find useful. . . Overall, this book would appeal to geologists, historians, and those who have an interest in the what, where, when, and how borate production and development was achieved in the western United States. --CALIFORNIA GEOLOGY, July/August 2000 Donald E. Garrett received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his graduate degrees from Ohio State University. He has worked as an engineer for many large companies and as a professor at several universities. Garrett has had over 200 technical papers published, and has rights to more than 200 patents. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Ohio State University, the Distinguished Achievement Award from Chemical Engineering Magazine, and a three-time recipient of the Kirkpatrick Award for best new chemical process of two-year period. He was named Chemical Engineer of the Year by AIChE., Los Angeles. He has been a member of the Department of the Interior Technical Review Committee, the University of California Engineering Advisory Committee, and the Ohio State University Advisory Committee. CONTENTS: Borate Minerals and the Origin of Borate Deposits. Borax and Sassolite Deposits. Calcium, Magnesium, or Silicate Buried Deposits. Calcium or Magnesium Surface (Playa or Mantle) Deposits. Lake or Brine Deposits. Marine Borate Occurrences, Isotopic Distribution. Mining. Processing. Uses of Borates. Borate Industry Statistics. Phase Data and Physical Properties of Borates. Subject Index.