The last thorough revision of Rutley's Elements of Mineralogy appeared as the 23rd Edition in 1936. In subsequent editions, an effort to keep abreast with the great progress in the science was made by small (and often awkward) modifications and, especially, by the addition of an independent chapter on the atomic structure of minerals. For this present edition, the complete re-setting of the book has made possible not only the integration of the added chapter on atomic structure into its proper place in the accounts of the chemical and physical properties of minerals, but also extensive rewriting and rearrangement of the material in the first part of the book. To this part, also, has been added a short chapter on the classification of minerals. In the second part, the Descrip tion of Minerals, numerous, if not so extensive, modifications and modernisations have been introduced. A couple of dozen new figures have been added, mostly in the early part of the book. More specifically, the major changes in this new edition are the following. The electronic structure of atoms supplies the guide lines for the whole account of mineral-chemistry; additional items concern the electrochemical series, of interest in the occurrence and metallurgical treatment of ores, and chemical analysis. On the physical side, the dependence of physical properties of minerals on their atomic structure is emphasized and, in addition, a brief account of radioactivity and isotopic age-determination is given.

Rutley's elements of mineralogy has been around for a long time, certainly throughout my own lifetime; and if my great grandfather had read geology, it would have been prescribed reading for him too! It has been rewritten and revised frequently since fir~t conceived by Frank Rutley in the late 19th century. Major revisions occurred in 1902, and then in 1914, when H. H. Read first took over the authorship, and thereafter in 1936 and in 1965 when the last major changes occurred. It was with some trepidation that I agreed to attempt this revision. I had been asked to do it by Janet Watson in 1979, but various commitments delayed my start on it until 1984. This 27th edition encompasses a number of changes. Chapters 1-5 have the same headings as before, but considerable changes have been made in all of them, particularly 1, 3, 4 and 5. Comments sought prior to the revision revealed considerable disagreement about the role of blowpipe analyses in the book. I have only once had blowpipe analyses demon strated to me, and have never used them; but there is no doubt that they are employed in many countries, and many of the tests (flame colour, bead, etc. ) are still useful as rapid indicators of which element is present in a mineral. I have therefore kept blowpipe analysis information in Rutley, but have relegated it to an appendix.

N this book the task of summarising modern petrology I from the genetic standpoint has been attempted. The scale of the work is small as compared with the magni tude of its subject, but it is nevertheless believed that the field has been reasonably covered. In conformity with the genetic viewpoint petrology, as contrasted with petrography, has been emphasised throughout; and purely descriptive mineralogical and petrographical detail has been omitted. Every petrologist who reads this book will recognise the author's indebtedness to Dr. A. Harker and Dr. A. Holmes, among British workers; to Prof. R. A. Daly, Dr. H. S. Washington, and Dr. N. L. Bowen, among American petrologists; and to Prof. J. H. L. Vogt, Prof. V. M. Goldschmidt, Prof. A. Lacroix, and Prof. P. Niggli. among European investigators. The emphasis laid on modern views, and the relative poverty of references to the works of the older generation of petrologists, does not imply any disrespect of the latter. It is due to recognition of the desirability of affording the petrological student a newer and wider range of reading references than is usually supplied in this class of work; for refer ences tend to become stereotyped as well as text and illustrations. Furthermore it is believed that all that is good and living in the older work has been incorporated, consciously or unconsciously, in the newer.

Archaeological Soil and Sediment Micromorphology goes beyond a mere review of current literature and features the most up to date contributions from numerous scientists working in the field. The book represents a groundbreaking and comprehensive resource covering the plethora of applications of micromorphology in archaeology. Archaeological Soil and Sediment Micromorphology offers researchers, students and professionals a systematic tool for the interpretation of thin sections of archaeological contexts. This important resource is also designed to help stimulate the use of micromorphology in archaeology outside Europe, where the technique is less frequently employed. Moreover, the authors hope to strengthen the proper application of soil micromorphology in archaeology, by illustrating its possibilities and referring in several cases to more specialized publications (for instance in the field of plant remains, pottery and phytoliths). Written for anyone interested in the topic, this important text offers: Contributions from most of the world's leading authorities on soil micromorphology A series of chapters on the major topics selected among the most recurrent in literature about archaeological soil micromorphology Systematic descriptions of all important micromorphological features Special analytical tools employed on thin sections, such as SEM/EDS, image analysis, fluorescence microscopy, mass spectrometry, among others Numerous cross-references 400 illustrated full-colour plates The resource provides the most current and essential information for archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, soil scientists and sedimentologists. Comprehensive in scope, Archaeological Soil and Sediment Micromorphology offers professionals and students a much-needed tool for the interpretation of thin sections of archaeological contexts.

This comprehensive textbook on Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) presents the fundamentals of the emerging technology of remote sensing combined with GIS. It provides sufficient knowledge of these technologies applied in different fields avoiding voluminous details required at research level. The first part introduces the basics of remote sensing leading up to data analysis. An exhaustive discussion on various types of sensors and their uses has been included to make the readers understand clearly their utilities. The second part presents the highly technical field of Geographic Information System, a tool that now finds applications in almost all fields of engineering, science, geography, planning, and decision-making.