The Identification of Detrital Feldspars

This comprehensive, one-volume encyclopedia covers the sedimentological aspects of sediments and sedimentary rocks. It features more than 250 entries by some 180 eminent contributors from all over the world, excellent indices, cross references, and extensive bibliographies.

Scholarly work on sedimentology. Each article is signed and has a bibliography. Illustrated. Indexed.

During the past two centuries, crystallography, mineralogy and petrology have evolved from simple compilations of data to powerful disciplines based on interlocking networks of laws, hypotheses and rules-of-thumb. While many data still consist of isolated facts which defy synthesis, a gratifying portion can be organized according to physical and chemical principles. Unfortunately the separation of physical sciences into sub-divisions, especially at the teaching level, makes it difficult to integrate the different approaches to minerals. This separation is worsened by the increasing technical demands of chemical and physical theories, by the number and complexity of experimental methods, by the sheer mass of facts in an observational discipline such as mineralogy or petrology, and by the explosion of papers. This book concentrates on those aspects of the genesis and properties of feldspar minerals which can be related to physical and chemical principles. My main aim is frankly pedagogic: I wish to show how chemical and physical principles can be combined with geologic observation to produce an enhanced level of understanding of the genesis of minerals. The feldspars which demonstrate almost all of the general principles provide the most suitable example.

Remarks by JVS. Volumes 1 and 2 of Feldspar Minerals were published in 1974, but Volume 3 was not completed because I was forced to devote 3 years to the resolution of unforeseen problems in the construction of an ion probe. By 1977, the incomplete draft for Volume 3 had become obsolete because of the enormous advances in knowledge of feldspars, particularly those in lunar rocks and meteorites, and in both deep-seated and ancient terrestrial rocks. Furthermore, it soon became obvious that a completely new version of Feldspar Minerals was needed because of the important new results on the physical and chemical properties. I had kept up with the interesting but tedious chore of weekly reading of the incoming literature and maintenance of the files. By 1980, the intense day-to day pressure had gone from my research programs on lunar rocks and on the development of the ion microprobe as a quantitative geochemical instrument, and I began preparation of a second edition of Feldspar Minerals.

Sedimentology has neither been adequately popularized nor This book begins with a consideration of the complex end commonly taught as an interdisciplinary subject, and many product of processes and materials, the sedimentary environ workers in the areas of modem environment studies have very ment. It then proceeds to discuss the processes and materials limited knowledge of sedimentology. Practical Sedimentol themselves. The emphasis is on geological interpretations of ogy (henceforth PS) is designed to provide an introduction and ancient deposits, but most discussions are also relevant to review of principles and interpretations related to sedimentary modem sediments and can be used to predict environmental processes, environments, and deposits. Its companion volume, changes. A basic knowledge of geological jargon is antici Analytical Sedimentology (henceforth AS), provides "cook pated for users of this book; we try to define most of the more book recipes" for common analytical procedures dealing with esoteric terms in context, but if there are additional incom sediments, and an introduction to the principles and reference prehensible terms, refer to Bates and Jackson's Glossary of sources for procedures that generally would be performed by Geology (AGI, 1987). specialist consultants or commercial laboratories. Specialist sedimentologists will find in them useful reviews, whereas sci ACKNOWLEDGMENTS entists from other disciplines will find in them concepts and procedures that may contribute to an expanded knowledge of Many chapter drafts ofPS were critically reviewed by Dr. M.

A multidisciplinary approach to research studies of sedimentary rocks and their constituents and the evolution of sedimentary basins, both ancient and modern.

Structures of layer silicates; order-disorder in clay mineral structures; interlayer and intercalation complexes of clay minerals; interstratified clay minerals; X-ray diffraction procedures for clay mineral identification; associated minerals; quantitative X-ray mineral analysis of clays; appendix: tables for the determination of d in Å from 20 for the Ka and Kb radiations of copper, cobalt and iron.