Author(s): B. Velde

Geology/Earth Science, Geography, Mapping, Weather, Hydrology | General and Popular Science

Developments in Sedimentology Series, 21.
'The study of clay minerals and clay assemblages has been and still is, for that matter, greatly hampered by the innate character of a material which, by its definition, is of small particle size. Little things are at times easier to study than big ones as witnessed by the immense advances in nuclear physics. 1lowever.in the case of natural silicates this is not true. Since the material has a small grain size, different phases can be easily mixed mechanically, making it difficult to separate them physically one from the other and difficult to identify them optically since their diameter approaches the limit of common optical resolution. One is left with X-ray diffraction or techniques which deal with energy absorption by a crystalline structure as means of investigation. Since these methods have only recently become commonly available to geologists and mineralogists, much of the pertinent information on clay minerals is still relatively new. A parallel interest has developed in experimental silicate phase equilibria concerning phyllosilicates in recent years which has allowed development of systematics in mineral stability studies.' (From Introduction)

Book in very good condition. Dust jacket has some scuffing and wear/tear at edges.