676 BOOK REVIEWS chapter. An extensive bibliography (about 300 of its brief span to strontium concentrations and references) and index complete the text. isotope ratios in baryte. Tony Naldrett is the leading world authority After the opening section, the book settles into on magmatic deposits. This book reflects descriptions of fields grouped by com- that fact in being a well-balanced appraisal of our modity and then geography. An excellent chapter current understanding of these . In drawing looks at ore fields in several parts of the upon a wealth of experience in all aspects of the world, including the Bristol area of the UK, and study of magmatic , the author is also able discusses their relationship to deposi- to offer unique insights and thus create a work tion and diagenesis of . Then come that goes well beyond being a mere review. It eight chapters dealing chiefly with baryte deposits is also a very well written, illustrated and pro- in different countries and of contrasting genetic duced book that sets the standard for works deal- types. Taken as a group, these are of considerable ing with major classes of ore deposit. It is highly interest for the manner in which contrasting eva- recommended as an essential purchase for Earth poritic, karstic, diagenetic, exhalative and epi- Science libraries, and scientists with a professional genetic ore types are considered. The first two interest in the magmatic sulfides. describe sedimentary and hydrothermal baryte D. J. VAUGHAN (and celestine) from Precambrian to Jurassic age in Argentina and Brazil. They are well set out and of obvious interest to an English-speaking De Brodtkorb, M.K. (editor). Nonmetalliferous readership. Next comes a description of the wide- Stratabound Ore Fields. New York (Van Nos- spread North American baryte ore fields, though trand Reinhold), 1989. xvi + 332 pp. Price excluding those in Arkansas. Here the great range s in genetic type and tectonic environment of baryte deposition is again apparent. The following One of the 'Evolution of Ore Fields Series', this chapter deals specifically with Arkansas, and gives book provides a structured series of fourteen a detailed description of syngenetic baryte chapters contributed by an international group of deposits in relation to sedimentary processes. authors on the subject specifically of stratabound Two chapters on European ore fields follow a deposits of celestine, baryte, and fluor- similar pattern to those on North America in that ite. It combines descriptive accounts of the differ- one takes a broad geographical view, while the ent ore fields with synthesis of the geological second is specifically about Sardinian ore fields. environments and processes of mineralization Both emphasize contrasting exhalative, unconfor- involved. Within the confines of a single volume, mity-hosted and karstic ores. That on Sardinia the breadth of subject matter has led to compro- also describes recent alluvial and placers deposits, mises resulting in a book that is neither a truly and like that on Arkansas is able to give consider- rounded textbook nor a rigorous set of technical able detail on what is in effect a single broadly descriptions. Nevertheless, the choice of subject defined ore . The next chapter looks at baryte is novel and has the virtue of bringing together in the Japanese Kuroko-type ore fields, thus turn- diverse aspects of geology which blur the distinc- ing to the high-temperature, volcanogenic, poly- tions between hydrothermal, sedimentary and metallic style of baryte ores. The last chapter of diagenetic processes of mineralization. Similarly, this group returns to Argentina and Spain to dis- it can be said to bridge the conceptual gap cuss sedimentary-diagenetic baryte nodules and between the metalliferous mineral deposits and , and aspects of their trace element those of the so-called 'industrial '. A geochemistry. book which cuts across divisions in the earth sci- The final three chapters comprise one on mag- ences is to be welcomed. nesite ore fields, one on , and a brief The foreword, by the series editor the late Dr summary which also adds details on areas neg- Wilfred Walker, seeks to set an underlying theme lected in the preceding body of the text. That on of relating mineral deposition to crustal evolution. magnesite returns to the theme of contrasting ori- The two short opening chapters which follow deal gins, here between ores in ultramafic, evaporitic respectively with the use of Sr isotopes as natural and lacustrine settings. The chapter on fluorite tracers and with aspects of Ba geochemistry. That also emphasizes sedimentary and palaeogeo- on isotopes is regrettably brief, and could usefully graphic factors in deposits varying from Cainozoic have incorporated sections on the application of in Italy to Precambrian in the Transvaal. S and O isotopes to genetic interpretations. The Clearly, the book covers a great deal of ground. second says surprisingly little about the crucial Besides filling a gap in the geological literature, question of baryte , while devoting much it successfully brings out the great variety of pro- BOOK REVIEWS 677 cesses which can create these mineral deposits. up-to-date statistics of reserves and production If I have a gripe, it is that if suffers from a slight rates. Particular attention is paid to cases where lack of clarity. The chapters do not possess separ- the ownership of marine mineral resources have ate summaries, and I repeatedly became confused been and still are matters of dispute. both by the amount of descriptive detail and the At s the work is expensive but such is the manner in which genetic sections are mixed in. scholarship and with more than 600 references For instance, I found the section on Cainozoic it should be required reading for all geologists, synsedimentary lacustrine fluorite extremely technologists and indeed administrators con- interesting, but came away without a clear insight cerned with the sea. into the chemistry of its formation. A. J. SMITH Despite its shortcomings, this book will be of value to those interested in gaining a broad under- Hodgson, A. A. (editor). Alternatives to Asbes- standing of mineral deposits, and should find a tos-the Pros and Cons. John Wiley & Sons home on the library shelves. It contains a body (on behalf of the Society of Chemical Industry), of useful information which would otherwise 1989. xiv + 195 pp. Price s remain scattered. However, an uneven, often weighty style and the tendency to mix description The need for a book on alternatives to asbestos with genetic interpretation will hinder its adoption arises from the growing awareness of the serious as a general text. The book is illustrated by numer- health hazards involved with inhalation of its fine ous maps, cross-sections and photographs. There particles and more specifically from the recom- are few obvious typographic errors, although the mendations of the report of the U.K. Health and lists of references contain mis-spellings of some Safety Commission's Advisory Committee on author's names (including my own). Asbestos (1979). Key recommendations from the N. J. FORTEY report involve substitution by other materials as far as practical, weighing advantages and disad- Earney, F. C. F. Marine Mineral Resources. Lon- vantages of asbestos and potential substitutes don and New York (Routledge, Chapman and including their potential health risks, perform- Hall Ltd.), 1990. xxiv + 387 pp., 94 figs. Price ance of the finished product, and the costs asso- s ciated with changing from asbestos to a substitute. The present survey is in three contributed In many ways Fillmore Earney's new book is a chapters: 1. The alternative raw material (60 pp) sequel to his and Hard Minerals from by the editor A. A. Hodgson. 2. The feasibility the Sea published in 1980. By comparing them of substitutes (88 pp) by A. Pye, and 3. The health one is able to see charted the developments in aspects (28 pp) by P. E. Elmes. knowledge and technology of the last decade. Chapter 1 encompasses fibres, mineral Much more of the recent work is dedicated to wools, synthetic and natural organic fibres, some the implications of the emergence of the Law of specific minerals (mica, vermiculite and other the Sea (UNCLOS III) Convention of 1982. In clays, talc, pyrophyllite and wollastonite), addition to detailed descriptions of the known expanded rhyolite glass (perlite), diatomite, and resources and current technologies for their re- carbon, refractory and metallic fibres. Consider- covery, the author dwells on the new regime, par- ation is given to chemical and physical properties, ticularly the emergence of the Exclusive manufacturing methods, uses, costs and avail- Economic Zone concept which gives coastal and abilities. Asbestos itself is not treated in detail island states powers to regulate the economic but the reader is directed towards other publica- activity within a zone reaching 200 nautical miles tions. seawards from set base lines and thus take Chapter 2 deals with substitution in the six resources from the waters, from the sea bed and major product groups: fibre-reinforced , from beneath the sea bed. He further discusses building materials and insulation, friction prod- the role of the International Sea-bed Authority ucts, heat-resisting , reinforced plastics which will regulate sea-bed mining beyond the and packings and jointings. No single material is limits of EEZs. Very properly he reveals the a universally suitable substitute. Almost by defini- impact of the recovery of mineral resources from tion, anything that completely reproduces the the sea on the economies of those states, often desirable properties would also present the un- developing countries, but also including Canada, desirable hazards. However, among the most which are currently the leading producers of viable alternatives are: cellulose fibre reinforced metallic minerals. , vermiculite insulation sprays and coat- The coverage is global, detailed and backed by ings, insulation with man-made 'mineral' fibre