R. Selley – Encyclopedia of Geology (2004)

Автор: R. Selley
Название книги: Encyclopedia of Geology
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Геология и Геодезия
Страницы: 3311
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

This unrivalled, five-volume reference work covers all aspects of geology including earth history, earth materials, surface processes, regional geology, economic geology, engineering geology, petroleum geology, geochemical and mineral exploration, and the history of geology. The techniques of remote sensing and other tools of investigation that have advanced rapidly over the last few decades are described in detail.

Encyclopedia of Geology is divided into 340 articles, each covering one aspect of geology. The concepts and theory are explained at a level that allows undergraduates and educated lay people to understand them. The reference has been planned and structured to provide the user with a comprehensive coverage of the core knowledge in each area. It will become the reference of choice for today's geologists and beyond.

Few areas of science can have changed as fast as geology has in the past forty years. In the first half of the last
century geologists were divided, often bitterly, between the drifters and those who believed that the Earth and
its continents were static. Neither side of this debate foresaw that the application of methods from physics,
chemistry and mathematics to these speculations would revolutionize the study of all aspects of the Earth
Sciences, and would lead to accurate and detailed reconstructions of world geography at former times, as well
as to an understanding of the origin of the forces that maintain the continental movements. This change in
world-view is no longer controversial, and is now embedded in every aspect of the Earth Sciences. It is a real
pleasure to see this change, which has revitalized so many classic areas of research, reflected in the articles
of this encyclopedia. Particularly affected are the articles on large-scale Earth processes, which discuss many
of the new geological ideas that have come from geophysics and geochemistry. Forty years ago we had no
understanding of these topics, which are fundamental to so many aspects of the Earth Sciences. The editors
have decided, and in my view quite rightly, not to include detailed discussion of the present technology that is
used to make geophysical and geochemical measurements. Such instrumental aspects are changing rapidly and
become dated very quickly. They can easily be found in more technical publications. Instead the editors have
concentrated on the influence such studies have had on our understanding of the Earth and its evolution, and in
so doing have produced an excellent and accessible account of what is now known.
Any encyclopedia has to satisfy a wide variety of users, and in particular those who know that some subject
like sedimentation or mineral exploration is part of geology, and go to an encyclopedia of geology to find out
more. The editors have made a very thorough attempt to satisfy such users, and have included sections on such
unexpected geological topics as the evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere, the geology of Jupiter, Saturn, and
their moons, aggregates, and creationism. I congratulate the editors and authors for producing such a fine
summary of our present knowledge, and am particularly pleased that they intend to produce an online version
of the encyclopedia. Though I have become addicted to using the Internet as my general encyclopedia, I will be
delighted to be able to access something concerned with my own field that is as organized and scholarly as are
these volumes.
Dan McKenzie

Richard de Bury, Bishop of Durham from 1333 to 1345, divided all knowledge into ‘Geologia’, earthly
knowledge, and ‘Theologia’, heavenly knowledge. By the beginning of the last century, however, Geology
was generally understood to be restricted to the study of rocks: according to the old dictum of the Geological
Survey of Great Britain ‘If you can hit it with a hammer, then it’s geology.’ Subsequently geology has been
subsumed into Earth Science. This includes not only the study of rocks (the lithosphere), but also the
atmosphere and hydrosphere and their relationship with the biosphere. Presently these relationships now
form a nexus in Earth System Science.
The ‘Encyclopedia of Geology’ is what it says on the cover. What appealed to us when first approached to
edit this work by Academic Press was a request that the encyclopedia should be rock-based. Readers are
referred to the companion volumes, Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences, Encyclopedia of the Solar System,
Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment and Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences for knowledge on the other
branches of Earth Science. Nonetheless we have extended our brief to include articles on the other planets and
rocky detritus of our solar system, leaving others to argue, as no doubt Bishop Richard would have done,
where the boundaries of earthly and heavenly knowledge might be. (His Grace would probably have charged
the editors of the Encyclopedia of the Solar System with heresy.)
One of the first, and most difficult, tasks of editing this encyclopedia was to decide, not only which topics
merited articles, but also how these articles should be grouped to facilitate the reader. This is easy for some
branches of geology, but difficult for others. It is relatively easy to logically arrange articles on mineralogy and
palaeontology, since they are defined by their chemistry and evolutionary biology. Articles that describe Earth
history may be conveniently arranged in a chronological order, and articles on regional geology may be
presented geographically. Other topics present problems, particularly in the area of sedimentology. There is,
for example, a range of inter-related topics associated with deserts. This area could be described geomorphologically,
and in terms of the aeolian and aqueous processes of deserts, aeolian sedimentary structures, and
aeolian deposits. All of these aspects of deserts deserve mention, but there is no obvious logical way of
arranging the discrete topics into articles. To help us in this task we relied heavily on our editorial board,
whose individual members had more specialized knowledge of their field than we. To the Editorial Board
Members, authors and anonymous referees of each article we give heartfelt thanks. We were also, of course,
constrained by the willingness of expert authorities to contribute articles. To some degree therefore, the shape
of the encylopedia owes as much to the enthusiasm of experts to write for us, as for our ‘wish list’ of articles. To
facilitate readers finding their way around the Encyclopedia of Geology great care has been taken in crossreferencing
within and between articles, in providing ‘See Also’ lists at the end of articles, and in the index. No
doubt it will be easier for readers to navigate around the online version of the work, than to manipulate the
several hard copy volumes.
As geological knowledge expands there is always more to learn and understand. While preparing the
‘Encyclopedia of Geology’ we have ourselves learned a great deal about geology, both within and beyond
our own specialties. We invite you to read this encyclopedia and join us in the field trip of a lifetime.
Richard C. Selley