Do-It-Yourself Sedimentology

Nature Vol. 260 April 1 1976 463 reviews•

A (highly) intelligent school leaver index. References are mostly to mono about to take up an appointment as graphs and reviews, rather than to an X-ray crystallographer in a bio Desert island original papers The illustrations are chemical laboratory and wrecked on plentiful and informative, although a desert island on his way, would find crystallography more modern X-ray photographs of the present volume invaluable in equip biological materials might have been ping him for his new post by the time chosen. The text seems reasonably free of his rescue. Dr Sherwood takes the U. W. Arndt of errors and misprints. It is a little reader in a methodical way through strange to find within the same covers all the necessary steps to the solution Crystals, X Rays and Proteins. By an illustration of wave interference in of an unknown crystal structure. He Dennis Sherwood. Pp. xxii + 702. a ripple tank and a derivation of the starts with an explanation of the fun (Longman: London, January 1976.) Harker-Kaspar inequalities, but the damentals of crystallography, of wave £12.50. author has fulfilled his stated intention motion, of diffraction and Fourier of saying something of use for every transform theory and develops the nec class of reader in every section. Al essary mathematical methods on the organic structure. though the coverage of the theory of way. He then deals with the theory The presentation is clear and fairly X -ray crystallography is fairly com and practice of crystallographic struc mathematical although it is a little plete the reader will have to look ture determination-intensity measure doubtful whether it could be followed elsewhere for a description of experi ment, extinction, Patterson methods, in its entirety by a reader who had mental methods. phase determination, refinement and not met any of the concepts before This is a book to keep at home or direct methods are dealt with in suc reading this volume. The author ad in the office far from the departmental cessive chapters. The final section heres throughout to a treatment in library, to read up on or verify X-ray deals with biopolymers and diffraction which he first states what he is going crystallographic theory. It is of less by helical structures. In spite of the to say, then says it and finally discus value in a library since all the topics title, the chapter on protein crystal ses what he has said. The chapter which the book covers can be found lography as such is the least adequately summaries, in particular, are useful. in readily available standard text covered. An appendix discusses a Other good features are the annotated books, although quite a number of practical example of the solution of an bibliography and the glossary and separate ones may have to be consulted.

HAVING recently returned to academic of transportation and sedimentation are life after several years in the oil Do-it-yourself qualitatively reviewed, followed logic industry, Dr Selley has obviously seen ally by a discussion of the morphology the need for a textbook on sedimen sedimentology and origin of biogenic and inorganic tology with a distinct emphasis on the sedimentary structures. A major more practical and economic aspects of Brian Waugh section is devoted to a study of the subject, particularly in its applica sedimentary facies and environments, tion to petroleum geology. As indicated on the basis of which the author erects in the preface, the book presents an An Introduction to Sedimentology. By a series of informative sedimentary overview of the more important fields Richard C. Selley. Pp. xi + 408. models. Sedimentary basins, their of sedimentology in an attempt to (Academic: London, New York and origin, structure and evolution are satisfy the needs and interests of San Francisco, January 1976.) £5.90; discussed, including a few short case students and practising geologists. It $14.75. histories illustrating the sequence and should of course be remembered that variety of basin fill deposits. The final sedimentology has evolved rapidly over chapter deals specifically with applied the past few decades, and presenting a valuable section on porosity and sedimentology, highlighting the role of an overview must therefore necessarily permeahility. A short chapter on sedimentological knowledge in the involve concentrating on concepts weathering is very disappointing, leav exploration and exploitation of hydro rather than detailed analysis. Conse ing the reader with little more than an carbons, together with a tantalisingly quently, this book should be regarded elementary understanding of weather brief discussion of sedimentary ores. strictly as a basic introduction to ing and soil-forming processes. The The book is written in a very sedimentology in which subject matter sedimentary rocks themselves are informal style, a feature which should is discussed at a very general level; but covered in two chapters on alloch appeal to the student reader at least, one which should also provide the thonous and autochthonous sediments, and the diagrams are on the whole reader with a reasonable background each major rock type heing described clearly presented and informative. The knowledge of the subiect. The practis with respect to classification, petro maior criticism of the book-that is, ing petroleum geologist may well have graphy and, where relevant, the that too much has perhaps been appreciated a more advanced treat relationship hetween diagenesis and attempted in this overview with the ment. porosity development. The sections on result that many topics are not dis The text is presented according to a carbonates and evaporites are particu cussed to any great depth-is perhaps logical format, commencing with the larly useful summaries, although counterbalanced, certainly for the more now familiar summary of the textural coverage of the other rock types suffers specialist reader, by th~ inclusion of characteristics of sediments, including an inevitable brevity. Physical aspects most comprehensive reference lists.