Boron. Mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry / Бор. Минералогия, петрология и геохимия

Boron is a widespread constituent of crustal rocks, being found in sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic and metamorphic environments. The Earth's upper continental crust  (average of 15 ppm B, 27th in abundance) is highly enriched in boron relative to the primitive mantle, which is inferred to have had 0.6 ppm B prior to creation of the crust (Taylor and McLennan, 1985; 1995; Leeman and Sisson, Chapter 12, cite 16.8 ppm, 0.10 ppm B, respectively). Thus, boron can be considered as a quintessential crustal element. Boron is also a major industrial material that has wide use in ceramics, glasses, metallurgy, insulation and textile grade fibers and lightweight fiber-strengthened materials, medicine, soaps, pyrotechnics, rocketry, and fuel technology. A few boron minerals have applications in their own right, such as tourmaline, kornerupine, sinhalite, and danburite as gemstones. Boric acid is used as a mild antiseptic and insecticide for cockroaches, and borax as a cleaning flux in welding and as a water softener. <...>