Calcretes

"This volume presents current understanding of the mechanisms and environments of the formation of calcretes and palustrine carbonates. Through a series of specific field examples, papers in this volume illustrate the wide variety of potential applications of these types of deposits. The papers presented here cover a wide array of ages and environmental settings of calcrete and palustrine deposition and include many interesting applications, such as the climatic and geomorphic controls on calcrete formation, possible modern analogues for palustrine carbonates, the interplay between palustrine, pedogenic, and diagenetic processes, the utility of radio-isotopic methods for dating pedogenic carbonates, applications to understanding landscape evolution, and reconstruction of diagenetic sequences. The result is a state-of-the-art book on these deposits so common in the geological record and in recent environments."--Publisher's website.

Calcretes are an important component of many ancient fluvial, lacustrine and shallow-marine carbonate sequences, and they are widely developed in many parts of the world at the present time. Calcretes are useful to the earth scientist involved in reconstructing ancient environments, palaeoclimates and palaeographics, and they may also reveal details of soil biota and chemistry. Over the last two decades the journal Sedimentology has published a number of articles on this subject and a compilation of them is presented here. In addition to the five main sections, this volume also includes an introduction to the subject that offers a review of recent work on calcretes. The collection of papers illustrates the range of calcrete occurrences and the great variety of textures and fabrics. This volume is authored and edited by experts and will serve as more than an introduction to the subject for geologists, soil scientists and geographers. If you are a member of the International Association of Sedimentologists, for purchasing details, please see: http://www.iasnet.org/publications/details.asp?code=RP2

This unparelleled reference synthesizes the methods used in microfacies analysis and details the potential of microfacies in evaluating depositional environments and diagenetic history, and, in particular, the application of microfacies data in the study of carbonate hydrocarbon reservoirs and the provenance of archaeological materials. Nearly 230 instructive plates (30 in color) showing thin-section photographs with detailed explanations form a central part of the content. Helpful teaching-learning aids include detailed captions for hundreds of microphotographs, boxed summaries of technical terms, many case studies, guidelines for the determination and evaluation of microfacies criteria, for enclosed CD with 14000 references, self-testing exercises for recognition and characterization skills, and more

About one-third of the Earth’s land surface experiences a desert climate, and this area supports approximately 15% of the planet’s population. This percentage continues to grow, and with this growth comes the need to acquire and apply an understanding of desert geomorphology. Such an understanding is vital in managing scarce and fragile resources and in mitigating natural hazards. This authoritative reference book is comprehensive in its coverage of the geomorphology of desert environments, and is arranged thematically. It begins with an overview of global deserts, proceeds through treatments of weathering, hillslopes, rivers, piedmonts, lake basins, and aeolian surfaces, and concludes with a discussion of the role of climatic change. Written by a team of international authors, all of whom are active in the field, the chapters cover the spectrum of desert geomorphology.

Including recent research findings from terrestrial satellite imagery, the study of planetary landscapes, and advances in laboratory work, this also covers the environmental processes involved in desertification and the solution of planning and

Encyclopedia of Deserts represents a milestone: it is the first comprehensive reference to the first comprehensive reference to deserts and semideserts of the world. Approximately seven hundred entries treat subjects ranging from desert survival to the way deserts are formed. Topics include biology (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, bacteria, physiology, evolution), geography, climatology, geology, hydrology, anthropology, and history. The thirty-seven contributors, including volume editor Michael A. Mares, have had extensive careers in deserts research, encompassing all of the world’s arid and semiarid regions. The Encyclopedia opens with a subject list by topic, an organizational guide that helps the reader grasp interrelationships and complexities in desert systems. Each entry concludes with cross-references to other entries in the volume, inviting the reader to embark on a personal expedition into fascinating, previously unknown terrain. In addition a list of important readings facilitates in-depth study of each topic. An exhaustive index permits quick access to places, topics, and taxonomic listings of all plants and animals discussed. More than one hundred photographs, drawings, and maps enhance our appreciation of the remarkable life, landforms, history, and challenges of the world’s arid land.

The new edition of Arid Zone Geomorphology aims to encapsulate the advances that have been made in recent years in the investigation and explanation of landforms and geomorphological processes in drylands. Building on the success of the previous two editions, the Third Edition has been completely revised and updated to reflect the latest developments in the field. Whilst this latest edition will remain a comprehensive reference to the subject, the book has been restructured to include regional case studies throughout to enhance student understanding and is clearly defined into five distinct sections; Firstly, the book introduces the reader to Large Scale Controls and Variability in Drylands and then moves on to consider Surface Processes and Characteristics; The Work of Water, The Work of the Wind. The book concludes with a section on Living with Dryland Geomorphology that includes a chapter on geomorphological hazards and the human impact on these environments. Once again, recognised world experts in the field have been invited to contribute chapters in order to present a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of current knowledge about the processes shaping the landscape of deserts and arid regions. In order to broaden the appeal of the Third Edition, the book has been reduced in extent by 100 pages and the Regional chapters have been omitted in favour of the inclusion of key regional case studies throughout the book. The Editor is also considering the inclusion of a supplementary website that could include further images, problems and case studies.

Middle East and Mediterranean region locates at a crossroad of global climatic patterns. The region is under the influence of a convergence of different maritime conditions which together with extensive adjacent land masses marked by extreme differences in topographical features transporting continental air masses lead to a diverse climate. This edited volume is based on the best papers accepted for presentation during the 1st Springer Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences (CAJG-1), Tunisia 2018. It gives new insights on patterns and mechanisms of past, present and future climate/environmental changes mainly on Middle East and Mediterranean region by international researchers. The book is of interest to all researchers in the fields of climate, paleo-climate and paleo-environmental studies. Main topics include: • Spatio-temporal Patterns of Climate Change • Sea Level Variability • Climate Change Impacts and Migration Schemes • Paleoclimate Evolution • Paleoenvironmental Evolution