h i g h l i g h t sWe have analysed the mineral sturmanite. Formula Ca 6 (Fe, Al, Mn) 2 (SO 4 ) 2 (B(OH) 4 )(OH) 12 Á26H 2 O. The mineral is unusual as it contains both sulphate and hydroxyborate anions. Chemical analysis shows a homogeneous phase, composed by Ca, Fe, Mn, S, Al and Si. Bands attributed to sulphate and hydroxyborate anions are identified.

A potential zircon reference material (BB zircon) for laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) U‐Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry is described. A batch of twenty zircon megacrysts (0.5–1.5 cm3) from Sri Lanka was studied. Within‐grain rare earth element (REE) compositions are largely homogeneous, albeit with some variation seen between fractured and homogeneous domains. Excluding fractured cathodoluminescence bright domains, the variation in U content for all analysed crystals ranged from 227 to 368 μg g−1 and the average Th/U ratios were between 0.20 and 0.47. The Hf isotope composition (0.56–0.84 g/100 g Hf) is homogeneous within and between the grains – mean 176Hf/177Hf of 0.281674 ± 0.000018 (2s). The calculated alpha dose of 0.59 × 1018 g−1 for a number of BB grains falls within the trend of previously studied, untreated zircon samples from Sri Lanka. Aliquots of the same crystal (analysed by ID‐TIMS in four different laboratories) gave consistent U‐Pb ages with excellent measurement reproducibility (0.1–0.4% RSD). Interlaboratory assessment (by LA‐ICP‐MS) from individual crystals returned results that are within uncertainty equivalent to the TIMS ages. Finally, we report on within‐ and between‐grain homogeneity of the oxygen isotope systematic of four BB crystals (13.16‰ VSMOW).

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Most monazite reference materials (RMs) for in situ U‐Pb geochronology are rich in Th; however, many hydrothermal ore deposits contain monazite that is low in trace element contents, including Th, U and Pb. Because of potential problems with matrix effects and the lack of appropriate matrix‐matched RMs, such variations can bias dating of hydrothermal deposits. In this paper, we describe a polycrystalline low‐U and low‐Th Diamantina monazite from the Espinhaço Range, SE Brazil. It has a U‐Pb ID‐TIMS weighted mean 207Pb*/235U ratio of 0.62913 ± 0.00079, 206Pb*/238U of 0.079861 ± 0.000088 and 207Pb*/206Pb* of 0.057130 ± 0.000031, yielding a weighted mean 206Pb*/238U date of 495.26 ± 0.54 Ma (95% c.l.). In situ dates acquired with different methods (LA‐(Q, SF, MC)‐ICP‐MS and SIMS) are within uncertainty of the ID‐TIMS data. U‐Pb LA‐(Q, MC)‐ICP‐MS runs, using Diamantina as a primary RM, reproduced the ages of other established RMs within < 1% deviation. The LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS analyses yielded homogeneous Sm‐Nd isotopic compositions (143Nd/144Nd = 0.511427 ± 23, 2s; 147Sm/144Nd = 0.1177 ± 13, 2s) and εNd(495 Ma) of −18.7 ± 0.5 (2s). SIMS oxygen isotope determinations showed measurement reproducibility better than ± 0.3‰ (2s), confirming Diamantina's relative homogeneity at test portion masses below 1 ng.

a b s t r a c tThe mineral ettringite has been studied using a number of techniques, including XRD, SEM with EDX, thermogravimetry and vibrational spectroscopy. The mineral proved to be composed of 53% of ettringite and 47% of thaumasite in a solid solution. Thermogravimetry shows a mass loss of 46.2% up to 1000 • C. Raman spectroscopy identifies multiple sulphate symmetric stretching modes in line with the three sulphate crystallographically different sites. Raman spectroscopy also identifies a band at 1072 cm −1 attributed to a carbonate symmetric stretching mode, confirming the presence of thaumasite. The observation of multiple bands in the 4 spectral region between 700 and 550 cm −1 offers evidence for the reduction in symmetry of the sulphate anion from T d to C 2v or even lower symmetry. The Raman band at 3629 cm −1 is assigned to the OH unit stretching vibration and the broad feature at around 3487 cm −1 to water stretching bands. Vibrational spectroscopy enables an assessment of the molecular structure of natural ettringite to be made.