GRANITIC PEGMATITES AND THEIR MINERALS: A TRIBUTE TO PETR CERNÝ

GALLISKI M. A.; LONDON D.; NOVÁK M.; MARTIN R.

CANADIAN MINERALOGIST

MINERALOGICAL ASSOC CANADA

Lugar: Toronto, Canada; Año: 2012 vol. 50 p. 777 - 780

0008-4476

PREFACEPetr Cerný certainly needs no introduction to the students and professional scientists who study granitic pegmatites. Cernýs prolific career of research on these rocks has spanned over forty years, with important contributions in the areas of 1) the mineralogy, geochemistry and petrology of granitic pegmatites, 2) the petrology, geochemistry and petrogenesis of granitic rocks in relation to their fields of granitic pegmatites, 3) the distributions of granites and their pegmatite systems in time and space on continental and global scales, 4) methods of exploration for granitic pegmatites, 5) the crystal chemistry and physical properties of silicate, phosphate, and oxide minerals, in particular the oxides of Nb, Ta, Ti, W, and Sn, and 6) the crystal-chemical properties and stability of natural minerals as related to ceramic storage media for nuclear waste.Petr Černý, born in January 8, 1934, obtained his M.Sc. degree at the Masaryk University in Brno. After his undergraduate training, he worked six years in an exploration company and two years (1962?1964) at the Moravian Museum in Brno. He completed his Ph.D. investigations of the mineralogy of two granitic pegmatites from Vě?ná at the Geological Institute of the Czech Academy Science in Prague in 1966. Cerný arrived in Canada from his home country of Czechoslovakiain 1968. He gravitated to the University of Manitoba as a postdoctoral fellow to take advantage of Winnipeg?s proximity to the new mine (at that time) exploiting the Tanco pegmatite at Bernic Lake, Manitoba.The Tanco pegmatite quickly proved to be a huge, valuable, but very complex orebody from the point of view of mining, and Cerný?s expertise became invaluable to the Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada (Tanco) as he and company geologists Bob Crouse and Dave Trueman began to sort out the mineralogy and zoning of the deposit and its surroundings. Thanks to Černý?s interests and efforts, the pegmatite bodies at the Tanco mine are now by far the best-studied rare-metal deposits in the world. To date, Černý has published 46 articles, chapters, and reports that deal specifically with the Tanco mine, and many others in which the Tanco pegmatite is assessed in relation to other rare-element deposits around the world.Cerný?s studies go far beyond Tanco and its exotic mineralogy. As an accomplished field geologist, Černý has expanded his interests in pegmatites to their origins, including the derivation of pegmatites from larger masses of granites, and the regional distributions of granite?pegmatite systems in terms of their ages, tectonic environments, and their ultimate sources in the continental crust and adjacent mantle. Few geoscientists working on granite?pegmatite systems have had the worldwide breadth of background that Cerný brings to his studies. That scope of knowledge gives Černý?s works an unmatched voice of authority, which is why his publications have had such a huge impact on the field.One of the more remarkable attributes of Cerný?s career has been his ability to incorporate new data and ideas into his own thinking, and to continually update his own conceptual framework in matters concerning the origin of pegmatites. In a field that is marked by the signatures of its participants, Černý has remainedunbiased, unattached to any particular model, and open-minded, always putting his scientific quest ahead of any career ambitions.Cerný?s role as an educator is no less significant. He has trained a significant group of students as a mentor and as an inspiration in their own studies of the mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry of pegmatites. He has launched the careers of many academic scientists and professionals in industry. The list of Cerný?s scientificcollaborators now numbers over 150, and is still growing. Among them is Iva Černá, Petr?s wife, field assistant, caretaker, and mentor. Some of these former students and collaborators have contributed articles to this issue. At the Fifth International Symposium on Granitic Pegmatites, held in 2011 in Mendoza, Argentina, the organizers, Miguel Galliski and María Florencia Márquez-Zavalía, dedicated the meeting to Petr, in recognition of his contributions to the study of pegmatites,and to the careers of so many of its practitioners. At that meeting, editor Bob Martin proposed a special issue of The Canadian Mineralogist as a fitting and lasting tribute, and enlisted Miguel Á. Galliski, David London and Milan Novák as guest editors of that issue. The response to the call for papers was rather overwhelming. This issue, then, constitutes the first of two tributes to the professional career of Petr Černý to appear in this journal. It is our intention to present the two volumes to Petr at the MAC luncheon to be held at the forthcoming GAC-MAC meeting (May 22?24, 2013), in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Readers interested in continuing the tribute to Petr should note that special sessions on Granitic Pegmatites are planned at that meeting. Another attraction will be an excursion to the hallowed Tanco granitic pegmatite, certainly a rare event!The twenty contributions in this festschrift are grouped according to three general themes that reflect well Petrs broad interests: 1) Mineralogy, crystal structure and crystal chemistry, 2) Mineral assemblages and evolution, and 3) Petrology and geochemistry. We thank all referees who accepted to scrutinize these contributions, and who offered suggestions for improvement. Contrary to what initial reactions might be, the alluring photo chosen for the cover of this issue has everything to do with this tribute. It shows a sample of the rare sulfosalt černýite, Cu2CdSnS4, taken from the Tanco granitic pegmatite.