Carbonate Sediments And Rocks Under The Microscope

More than half of the world's petroleum is to be found in carbonate rocks, for example in the Middle East, the former USSR and in North America. These rocks show a bewildering diversity of grains and textures, due in part to the wealth of different fossil organisms which have contributed to carbonate sedimentation, and in part to a wide variety of

More than half of the world’s petroleum is found in carbonate rocks — for example, in the Middle East, the former USSR and in North America. These rocks show a bewildering diversity of grains and textures, due in part to the wealth of different fossil organisms that have contributed to carbonate sedimentation, and in part to a wide variety of diagenetic processes that can radically modify textures and obscure the depositional fabric. Careful petrographic study with a polarising microscope is a key element of any study of carbonate sediments — as a companion to field or core logging and as a necessary precursor to geochemical analysis. This atlas, which illustrates in full color a range of features not attempted in any general textbook, is designed as a laboratory manual to keep beside the microscope, and as an aid to identifying grain types and textures in carbonates. It will appeal alike to under-graduate and graduate students and to professionals in teaching institutions, research laboratories and industry. A Color Atlas of Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section — W. S. MacKenzie and A. E. Adams

Provides a very clear guide to sedimentary rock types as seen under the microscope supported by practical aspects of slide preparation.

Backscattered scanning electron microscopy (BSE) reveals the minerals, textures, and fabrics of sediments and rocks in much greater detail than is possible with conventional optical microscopy. Backscattered Scanning Electron Microscopy provides a concise summary of the BSE technique. This comprehensive guide uses abundant images to illustrate the type of information BSE yields and the application of the technique to the study of sediments and sedimentary rocks. The authors review the use of this petrographic technique on all the major sedimentary rock types, including sediment grains, sandstones, shales, carbonate rocks, rock varnish, and glauconite. They also describe image analysis techniques that allow quantification of backscattered scanning electron microscope images. Heavily illustrated and lucidly written, this book will provide researchers and graduate students with the most current research on this important geological tool.

Ideas and concepts in sedimentology are changing rapidly but fundamental field work and data collection remain the basis of the science. This book is intended as a guide to the recognition and description of sedimentary rocks in the field. It aims to help the geologist know what to observe and record and how best to interpret this data. The emphasis is on illustrating the principal types of sedimentary rocks and the book contains over 400 superb colour photos and drawings. The introductory chapter defines the main types of sedimentary rock and their initial recognition, followed by a section highlighting safety in the field. The author goes on to describe the main field techniques and provides a comprehensive summary of the principal characteristics of sedimentary rocks. There is a chapter on each of the main rock types and on how to interpret facies and their features in terms of depositional environments and economic significance. This book is of value to students, amateur enthusiasts and professional geologists.

This fully revised and updated edition introduces the reader to sedimentology and stratigraphic principles, and provides tools for the interpretation of sediments and sedimentary rocks. The processes of formation, transport and deposition of sediment are considered and then applied to develop conceptual models for the full range of sedimentary environments, from deserts to deep seas and reefs to rivers. Different approaches to using stratigraphic principles to date and correlate strata are also considered, in order to provide a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of sedimentology and stratigraphy. The text and figures are designed to be accessible to anyone completely new to the subject, and all of the illustrative material is provided in an accompanying CD-ROM. High-resolution versions of these images can also be downloaded from the companion website for this book at: www.wiley.com/go/nicholssedimentology.