The MRK2016 school on “Mineral reaction kinetics: microstructures, textures, chemical and isotopic signatures” was organised in the framework of the EMU schools. Through advances in material characterisation and experimentation new features of the mineralogical record are increasingly being revealed in rocks, and new modes of material behavior are being found. Thermodynamic and kinetic models are being steadily refined to meet the ever increasing level of scrutiny required by mineralogical research. In this school a team of internationally recognized researchers gathered to share their expertise, experience, and enthusiasm for an integrated approach to deciphering mineral reaction kinetics. A new volume on this topic is available for the school as part of the series of EMU Notes in Mineralogy.

In this school the fundamentals required for analysing the information encoded in phase assemblages and compositions, chemical and isotopic patterns, microstructures, and textures in rocks was communicated. Participants were provided with the necessary skills for tackling material-related research problems independently. The aim was to stimulate activity and progress in this fascinating research field, which provides links throughout the sub-disciplines of Earth and Planetary Sciences.