| ISBN |
9780190203672 (alk. paper) |
| Name |
Rickard, David T. (David Terence), 1943- author. |
| Title |
Pyrite : a natural history of fool's gold / David Rickard. |
| Published |
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2015] |
| ©2015 |
| Description |
xix, 297 pages, 8 pages of unnumbered plates : illustrations (some colour), map ; 25 cm. |
| Notes |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
Foole's gold -- So what do you do? -- Foole's gold -- Fool's gold as pyrite -- Pyrite and the founding of Canada -- Frobisher's scam -- Pyrite and the founding of the United States of America -- Fool's gold in the modern world -- Pyrite and the origins of civilization -- The gods of fire -- The origins of human culture -- The earliest chemical industry -- Big Pharma -- Pyrite and the origins of the modern arms industry -- Pyrite feeds the world -- Pyrite, civilization, and culture -- What is pyrite? -- The importance of names -- Classical origins -- Marcasite and the Arab interlude -- Late medieval confusion -- Renaissance revisions -- The iron mystery -- Renaissance clarification -- Elements and minerals -- Berthollet redux -- Crystals and atoms -- Introduction -- Pyrite habits -- Pyrite and the foundations of x-ray crystallography -- Pyrite structure: counting atoms -- Cubes and atoms -- Dodecahedra exist, almost -- Octahedra and how pyrite crystals grow -- Pyrite raspberries -- Designer pyrite -- Hell and black smokers -- Ancient ideas of mineral formation -- Pyrite and volcanoes -- Pyrite and the problem of geologic time -- Pyrite and the origin of the earth's interior heat -- Pyrite in geothermal springs -- Deep-ocean hydrothermal vents -- Black smoker chimneys and massive pyrite deposits -- Massive pyrite deposits as fossil hydrothermal systems -- Microbes and minerals -- Rotten eggs -- Blue mud -- Source of hydrogen sulfide -- Bacteria hold the key -- Bacteria and pyrite -- Pyrite isotopes -- Acid earth -- Chemical pyrite oxidation -- Microbial pyrite oxidation -- Acid rivers -- Eternal fires -- Acid rain -- Smog -- Acid sulfate soils -- Acidogene -- Pyrite and the global environment -- Pyrite formation and burial -- Pyrite as a key component of the earth system -- Death zones in the unfriendly sea -- Pyrite formation and the evolution of life -- Pyrite sulfur isotope signatures and the silver bullet -- Other earths -- Pyrite and the origins of life -- Abiogenesis -- The iron-sulfur world -- The oldest pyrite -- The Frankenstein experiment -- Pyrite and the synthesis of biomolecules -- Pyrite and the earliest organisms -- Pyrite, biofilms, and ancient lagoons -- Full circle -- Pyrite, alchemy, and metal extraction -- Pyrite and the electronics industry -- The pyrite resolution board -- Pyrite, free radicals, and life -- Extraterrestrial pyrite -- Not so foolish gold. |
| Summary |
Most people have heard of pyrite, the brassy yellow mineral commonly known as fool's gold. But despite being the most common sulfide on the earth's surface, pyrite's bright crystals have attracted a noteworthy amount of attention from many different cultures, and its nearly identical visual appearance to gold has led to tales of fraud, trickery, and claims of alchemy. Pyrite occupies a unique place in human history: it became an integral part of mining lore in America during the 19th century, and it has a presence in ancient Sumerian texts, Greek philosophy, and medieval poetry, becoming a symbol for anything overvalued. In 'Pyrite', geochemist and author David Rickard blends basic science and historical narrative to describe the many unique ways pyrite makes appearances in our world. He follows pyrite back through the medieval alchemists to the ancient Arab, Chinese, Indian, and Classical worlds, showing why the mineral was central to the development of these various ancient cultures. Pyrite can be tracked to the beginnings of humankind, and Rickard reveals how it contributed to the origins of our art and storytelling and even to our biologic development as humans. |
| Subjects |
Pyrites |
| Pyrites -- History |
| Mineralogy |
| Links to Related Works |
Subject References:
See Also:
Authors:
|
|---|
