The feldspars form the most abundant group of minerals in the crust of the Earth and Moon and also occur in many meteo rites. They playa fundamental role in all rock-forming processes at shallow depths, but are rare or absent from the upper mantle. Their detailed study is thus essential for the understan ding of such varied processes as magma genesis and differentia tion, metamorphism, al teration, erosion and sedimentation. This interest is show by the fact that two previous NATO Advanced Study Institutes on feldspars were held in Oslo in 1962 and in Manchester in 1972. The feldspars are particularly sui table for detailed studies, as they have very simple chemistry and develop some of the most complex microstructures known. The microstructures are often slow to form but are easily preserved, so that they are potentially extremely informative about the geological history of the rocks in which they occur. Furthermore, their study involves physical and chemical methods of increasing sophistication so that the results obtained are not always immediately understandable to research workers outside the field of modern mineralogy. Progress in knowledge about feldspars is probably slower in penetrating the fields of petrology and geochemistry than that on other mineral groups. For these reasons among others, i~ was particularly appropriate to hold a third NATO ASI on feldspars approximately ten years after the last one.

From AMETHYST to ARTESIAN SPRING, from COAL GAS to CONTINENTAL DRIFT, from SEISMOGRAM to STROMATOLITE, the Encylopedia of the Solid Earth Sciences provides a comprehensive modern reference text for all the subdisciplines of the Earth Sciences. The Encyclopedia is primarily intended for professional earth scientists and those specializing in related subjects. However, it will also provide an important reference for students of the Earth Sciences and those needing information on terms in current usage. The book contains three main styles of entry: articles up to 1500 words on major topics such as plate tectonics, standard entries of up to a couple of hundred words on topics such as groups of minerals,and brief definitions of, for instance, individual minerals.

Feldspar minerals make up 60% of the crust of the Earth. They are stable in the upper mantle, and are so abundant in the crust that they form the basis of the classification of igneous rocks. At the surface, feldspars weather to form clay minerals which are the most important mineral constituent of soils. The articles in this book review the chemical reactions of feldspars over the whole sweep of pressure and temperature regimes in the outer Earth, and describe the fundamental aspects of crystal structure which underlie their properties. The book covers intracrystalline reactions, such as order-disorder transformations and exsolution, and transfer of stable and radiogenic isotopes, which can be interpreted to provide insights into the thermal history of rocks. It is suitable for final year undergraduates or research workers.

This book is an authoritative survey of all aspects of making ceramics for craft potters and ceramic artists.

Aimed at B.Sc. students of geology, this introductory text develops a basic understanding of the Earth as a complex, evolving system of geological processes. This book will also be of immense use to those postgraduate students of geology who opt for this stream after graduating in disciplines other than geology. Geology as a science has recently gained increasing importance because of the current developments in oil and mineral exploration and also because of recent occurrences of earthquakes and tsunamis. This book covers the entire spectrum of the geologic concepts and relates them to the main processes of geomorphology, earthquakes and volcanoes. Important types of the three categories of rocks—igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic—that form the crust of the Earth are described with their characteristic mineralogy. Major structures that are born of tectonic activities are discussed. Palaeontological descriptions cover not only the plant and animal groups but also other evidences of life in the geological record and evolution. An important feature of the text is that modern stratigraphic methods of classification are outlined clearly, and the latest geologic time scale with numerical ages as approved in 2004 by the International Commission on Stratigrahy of the International Union of Geological Sciences is incorporated.

Includes about 55,000 individual mining and mineral industry term entries with about 150,000 definitions under these terms.