Few books achieve a connection between scientific theory and real world environmental problems, but this one does. Generous use of color images, exercises, and case studies make it friendly for the classroom or non-mineralogist. Discover crystallography, surface chemistry, mineral-solution equilibria, organic matter, and soil mineral analysis. The book includes a lengthy exploration of world-wide applications of mineralogy in soil taxonomy, tectonics, radionuclides, pesticides, enzymes, and more.