This Proceedings volume contains papers from three symposia which were held during the 29th International Geological Congress, Kyoto, Japan, 24 August--3 September 1992. From the first symposium --- ''Metamorphic Reactions: kinetics and mass transfer'' --- 5 papers were selected for publication. One of the objectives of the symposium was to clarify the nature of reactions and mass transfer from the viewpoint of kinetics. From the ''Sandstone Petrology in Relation to Tectonics''-symposium, 10 papers were selected and revised for inclusion in this book. The articles reflect the different approaches on the relationship between sandstone composition and tectonic setting. The third symposium in this volume --- ''Evaporite and Desert Environment'' consists of 8 selected papers. The papers summarize the relationship between various desertification factors and the dynamics of different regions, and the classification of these regions according to their geological and mineralogical factors.

This volume is an extended Proceedings of the ''Ophiolite Symposium'' which was held during the 29th International Geological Congress, Kyoto, Japan, 24 August--3 September, 1992. If focuses on the multiplicity and diversity of the circum-Pacific Phanerozoic ophiolites and their intra-continental analogues. An introductory paper, summarizing characteristics of the circum-Pacific ophiolites is followed by papers dealing with particular segments of circum-Pacific ophiolite belts arranged in a counter-clockwise direction from New Zealand to Japan. These are followed by comprehensive documentations on multiple ophiolite belts within the Asian continent, as well as by a paper on a Tethyan ophiolite in Iran. Additionally, a report and a general view on the Late Proterozoic ophiolites are included.