Journal of Petrology Volume 41 Number 12 Pages 1821 2000
© Oxford University Press 2000
BOOK REVIEW |
Encyclopedia of Geochemistry, edited by Clare P. Marshall and Rhodes W. Fairbridge. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, 1999, 712 pp. ISBN 0-421-75500-9. £280.
Geochemistry has been in the vanguard of what many have described as the second major revolution in the Earth Sciences. The development of plate tectonic theory marked the profound shift in emphasis from description of what was preserved in the geological record, to investigations of the processes responsible. Understanding of processes in turn requires the best possible estimates of when and how fast they took place. In very many instances what we can know depends on how well we can tell time. Geochemistry has evolved from its initial aims of documenting the compositions of terrestrial materials and ore deposits, to leading the way in designing new experiments to determine the controls on natural processes. Much of its contribution has been through the fields of isotope geochemistry, which has arguably redefined the old boundaries between the more classical subject areas in geological sciences. The age of the Earth, and hence the vastness of geological time, was a landmark for both practical sciences, and philosophically. For a while those huge tracts of time encouraged notions that things change slowly, and yet in practice many of the major changes have taken place in intermittent, short-lived high-energy events. It is perhaps less widely appreciated that geochemistry has led the way in the development of many analytical techniques, and this drive continues with the increasing application of high-resolution in situ measurement techniques. As models become more sophisticated it is even more important to be sure of exactly what has been analysed, its internal structure and its textural relation to other phases.There have been a number of scientific encyclopedias that have tended to offer longer articles in key subject areas, often with colour illustrations. The Encyclopedia of Geochemistry is very different, for here is a determined attempt to be genuinely comprehensive across a vast field, and the result is extremely impressive. There are almost 350 short articles on topics that range from Crystal Field Theory to Meteorites, from descriptions of individual elements to subject areas such as Surface Geochemistry, from Geoavailability to Oxygen Isotopes to Precambrian Geochemistry. The list is impressive in scope: Hydrocarbons follow Holmium, History of Geochemistry, Henry’s Law, Helium Isotopes, and Helium, and many of the contributions benefit from having been written by individuals who are highly respected in their fields. The articles are lucid, and invaluably they often manage to combine basic information with a flavour of the different subjects. Organic geochemistry is represented, and there are contributions on Natural Resources, Equilibrium, and Environmental Geochemistry of Plutonium, and specific analytical techniques such as Isotope Dilution, Neutron Activation and Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. The space devoted to different topics varies from perhaps a sixth of a page on Astatine (the heaviest of the halogens!) to 10 pages on Earth’s Ocean Geochemistry by Joris Gieskes. Other notable essays include those by Scott McLennan and Ross Taylor on the Earth’s Continental Crust, Magmatic Processes in six pages by Robert Cullers, Phase Equilibria by Robert Luth, and the Earth’s Formation and Geochemical Evolution by Herbert Palme. There are clear black and white diagrams where needed, a few photographs, useful bibliographies for further reading, and cross references to other topics.
This Encyclopedia of Geochemistry has been painstakingly put together over a number of years, and the care and attention to detail has been very worth while. Here is a volume that exceptionally compiles basic information, and the details of commonly used techniques, with essays of introduction to different subject areas. It is expensive, but it has been a considerable undertaking and it would be hard to argue that it is not worth the price. Every Library should certainly have a copy, as it will be widely used by students, researchers and teachers alike, and I have used it repeatedly in the few months it has been on my shelves. Fittingly, Bill Fyfe wrote the sections on Geochemistry and on Soil, and as he is always quick to remind us ’geochemistry has a key role in the future wise management of the Earth’, and as ’in terms of human times, soil is a non-renewable resource, ... Today we have a soil crisis on this planet’. For all sorts of reasons, more and more people need to understand how the Earth works, and this volume is a considerable resource for those working towards that goal.
Chris J. Hawkesworth
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Bristol
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