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Geomorphology in the tropics: A study of weathering and denudation in the low latitudes
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 58, NO. 23. PP. 5363-5368, 1994 Copyright 0 1994 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 00 I6-7037/94 $6.00 + .OO
Pergamon
BOOK REVIEWS
Origin and Evolution oj”the Elements edited by N. Prantzos et al. Press, 1993, xiv + 545 pp., US $69.95 (ISBN-
light of these developments.” In covering these topics, as is usual in a volume of this sort, the individual papers vary markedly in quality and depth. Some-like those of Grevesse and No&, Geiss, Schramm, Reeves himself, Arnould and Takahashi, and Begemann and coworkers-are of high quality and informative. Others are not up to this standard. It is obvious that the editors made no attempt to impose a common style upon the nature of the chapters. Some have abstracts, others do not. The referencing style was left up to each contributor. Even so fundamental a matter as the placement of mass number for a nuclide was left to individual preference. What 1 found surprising were the excessive number of typographic and stylistic errors: only rarely were any two successive pages free of them. In this era of “spell-check”. misspellings should not appear. In their abstract, the editors noted that “(t) he study of the origin and evolution attracts researchers from astrophysics, nuclear physics, meteoritics and many other disciplines. They conclude that “this text (is) suitable for both graduate students and researchers.” I’m afraid that I must disagree. For a number of reasons, this volume cannot serve as a text. It is clearly of interest to those engaged in research on nucleosynthesis, but each chapter must be approached cautiously since it has not had the benefit of formal (or informal) review. While individual chapters are quite interesting, I doubt that the volume will be widely cited.
Cambridge University O-521-43428-9).
THIS BOOK is a classical
“Festschrift”, honoring the 60th birthday of Hubert Reeves in 1992 who had, at that time, carried out research on nuclear astrophysics and nucleosynthesis for thirty-five years. To mark this occasion, over 120 individuals participated in a four day symposium (22-25 June 1992) held at the Institut d’ Astrophysique de Paris: sixty-six of the papers presented there are included in this volume. These papers are grouped into eight broad categories: “Stellar and Nuclear Data,” six papers; “The Light Elements; Big Bang and Cosmic Rays,” ten papers; “Lithium Story,” nine papers; “Nucleosynthesis up to the Fe Peak,” seventeen papers: “The Heavier than Fe Elements,” ten papers; “Galactic Evolution and Cosmochronolfive papers. They follow a ogy ,” nine papers; “Isotopic Anomalies,” brief preface by the editors, and two short introductory chapters by Jean Audouze (a colleague of Reeves at the Institut) and Edwin Salpeter (Reeves’ Ph.D. mentor), and precede closing remarks by Salpeter. The abstract of the volume states that “( s)tellar and primordial nucleosynthesis, cosmic ray spallation and other processes leading to the formation of cosmic elements are discussed. Recent observational data are presented concerning cosmic abundances together with nuclear data and methods that evaluate the probability of the nuclear reactions involved. The evolution of stars and galaxies and the origin of our solar system and the universe are reviewed in the
Department qf Chemistry Purdue University W. Lrcfaye/fe, IN 47907. USA
Geomorphology in the Tropics: A Study of Weathering and Denudation in the Low Latitudes by M. F. Thomas. John Wiley and Sons, 1994, 460 p., US $150.00
Michael
E. Lipschutz
pediplanation. Chapter IO (erosional terrain and residual hills) is mostly devoted to inselberg formation. Chapter I I establishes the long-term landform evolution, discusses formation of land surfaces, peneplanation cycles, and the effect of tectonic activity or sea level changes. One perhaps regrets the weakness of the geochemical laterite classification that the author adopted and the feebleness of the mineralogical soil taxonomy that he accepted. Both are probably not sufficiently and audaciously redefined to localize the tropical soil complexity within the paleoclimatic oscillations at different timescale. Despite a creditable effort to analyze climatic fluctuations during the Quaternary and to incorporate erosional cycles at a Tertiary timescale, one could deplore the lack of references concerning global climatic changes and zonality shifts due to continental drift, which controls the polyphasing over long time periods ( 150 Ma) and the geographic distribution of lateritic soils over a large range of latitudeseven extratropical. One certainly will appreciate the pertinence of the data and the considerations concerning erosion of various types, particularly those due to landslide and landscape instabilities in the humid tropical regions. Geomorphology in the tropics is very well presented, abundantly, precisely, and nicely illustrated. It is also extremely well documented: the bibliography is extensive and covers a large number of subjects all of which are discussed in detail and perfectly incorporated into an integrated vision of the lateric world. This well-documented and pedagogic treatise should be considered for bedside reading, essential for students, teachers, and researchers interested in soil sciences, geomorphology, geochemical prospecting, and the dynamics of tropical environments.
(ISBN 0-471-93035-O).
This book consists of eleven chapters, distributed in four parts. Chapter 1 is an introduction devoted to geomorphology from a tropical perspective. Part I on processes and products of weathering is divided into three chapters. Chapter 2 treats chemical alteration of rocks under tropical climatic conditions including chemical weathering, climatic factors, mineral reaction paths and rates, as well as formation of new mineral phases. Chapter 3 is an attempt to synthesize the physical properties of saprolites and weathering profiles; porosity, permeability, hydraulic conductivity depending on mineral fabrics or organizations and to summarize the rules of the distribution of profiles in landscapes under various types of climates. Chapter 4 is devoted to laterites, bauxites, and duricrusts ( ferricretes, silcretes, calcretes) in an attempt to define the different types of lateritic facies and to delineate the conditions in which they form. Part 2 on denudation processes is organized into two chapters. Chapter 5 (surface processes in tropical climates) is an inventory of factors causing erosion: rainfall, infiltration, runoff, and their effect on river sediment yields. Runoff, gully, and fluvial types of erosion are distinguished. Chapter 6 (landsliding and other mass movements) describes slope failures as well as stability and instability of landscapes controlled by vegetation, rainfall, and relief. Parf 3 on quaternary environmental change and landform development also includes two chapters. Chapter 7 (Quaternary changes in the tropics) is mostly devoted to climatic oscillations and their impact on tropical geomorphology. Chapter 8 (landforms and deposits associated with environmental changes) describes the formation of pediments, alluvial fans, stone lines, and colluvial or alluvial deposits. The evolution of tropical landscapes is presented in Part 4 thru chapters mostly devoted to geomorphology. Chapter 9 treats etching processes and landform development such as peneplanation and
Institut de Gkologie UniversiCPLouis Pasteur Strasbourg, France 5363
Yves Tardy
Pergamon
BOOK REVIEWS
Origin and Evolution oj”the Elements edited by N. Prantzos et al. Press, 1993, xiv + 545 pp., US $69.95 (ISBN-
light of these developments.” In covering these topics, as is usual in a volume of this sort, the individual papers vary markedly in quality and depth. Some-like those of Grevesse and No&, Geiss, Schramm, Reeves himself, Arnould and Takahashi, and Begemann and coworkers-are of high quality and informative. Others are not up to this standard. It is obvious that the editors made no attempt to impose a common style upon the nature of the chapters. Some have abstracts, others do not. The referencing style was left up to each contributor. Even so fundamental a matter as the placement of mass number for a nuclide was left to individual preference. What 1 found surprising were the excessive number of typographic and stylistic errors: only rarely were any two successive pages free of them. In this era of “spell-check”. misspellings should not appear. In their abstract, the editors noted that “(t) he study of the origin and evolution attracts researchers from astrophysics, nuclear physics, meteoritics and many other disciplines. They conclude that “this text (is) suitable for both graduate students and researchers.” I’m afraid that I must disagree. For a number of reasons, this volume cannot serve as a text. It is clearly of interest to those engaged in research on nucleosynthesis, but each chapter must be approached cautiously since it has not had the benefit of formal (or informal) review. While individual chapters are quite interesting, I doubt that the volume will be widely cited.
Cambridge University O-521-43428-9).
THIS BOOK is a classical
“Festschrift”, honoring the 60th birthday of Hubert Reeves in 1992 who had, at that time, carried out research on nuclear astrophysics and nucleosynthesis for thirty-five years. To mark this occasion, over 120 individuals participated in a four day symposium (22-25 June 1992) held at the Institut d’ Astrophysique de Paris: sixty-six of the papers presented there are included in this volume. These papers are grouped into eight broad categories: “Stellar and Nuclear Data,” six papers; “The Light Elements; Big Bang and Cosmic Rays,” ten papers; “Lithium Story,” nine papers; “Nucleosynthesis up to the Fe Peak,” seventeen papers: “The Heavier than Fe Elements,” ten papers; “Galactic Evolution and Cosmochronolfive papers. They follow a ogy ,” nine papers; “Isotopic Anomalies,” brief preface by the editors, and two short introductory chapters by Jean Audouze (a colleague of Reeves at the Institut) and Edwin Salpeter (Reeves’ Ph.D. mentor), and precede closing remarks by Salpeter. The abstract of the volume states that “( s)tellar and primordial nucleosynthesis, cosmic ray spallation and other processes leading to the formation of cosmic elements are discussed. Recent observational data are presented concerning cosmic abundances together with nuclear data and methods that evaluate the probability of the nuclear reactions involved. The evolution of stars and galaxies and the origin of our solar system and the universe are reviewed in the
Department qf Chemistry Purdue University W. Lrcfaye/fe, IN 47907. USA
Geomorphology in the Tropics: A Study of Weathering and Denudation in the Low Latitudes by M. F. Thomas. John Wiley and Sons, 1994, 460 p., US $150.00
Michael
E. Lipschutz
pediplanation. Chapter IO (erosional terrain and residual hills) is mostly devoted to inselberg formation. Chapter I I establishes the long-term landform evolution, discusses formation of land surfaces, peneplanation cycles, and the effect of tectonic activity or sea level changes. One perhaps regrets the weakness of the geochemical laterite classification that the author adopted and the feebleness of the mineralogical soil taxonomy that he accepted. Both are probably not sufficiently and audaciously redefined to localize the tropical soil complexity within the paleoclimatic oscillations at different timescale. Despite a creditable effort to analyze climatic fluctuations during the Quaternary and to incorporate erosional cycles at a Tertiary timescale, one could deplore the lack of references concerning global climatic changes and zonality shifts due to continental drift, which controls the polyphasing over long time periods ( 150 Ma) and the geographic distribution of lateritic soils over a large range of latitudeseven extratropical. One certainly will appreciate the pertinence of the data and the considerations concerning erosion of various types, particularly those due to landslide and landscape instabilities in the humid tropical regions. Geomorphology in the tropics is very well presented, abundantly, precisely, and nicely illustrated. It is also extremely well documented: the bibliography is extensive and covers a large number of subjects all of which are discussed in detail and perfectly incorporated into an integrated vision of the lateric world. This well-documented and pedagogic treatise should be considered for bedside reading, essential for students, teachers, and researchers interested in soil sciences, geomorphology, geochemical prospecting, and the dynamics of tropical environments.
(ISBN 0-471-93035-O).
This book consists of eleven chapters, distributed in four parts. Chapter 1 is an introduction devoted to geomorphology from a tropical perspective. Part I on processes and products of weathering is divided into three chapters. Chapter 2 treats chemical alteration of rocks under tropical climatic conditions including chemical weathering, climatic factors, mineral reaction paths and rates, as well as formation of new mineral phases. Chapter 3 is an attempt to synthesize the physical properties of saprolites and weathering profiles; porosity, permeability, hydraulic conductivity depending on mineral fabrics or organizations and to summarize the rules of the distribution of profiles in landscapes under various types of climates. Chapter 4 is devoted to laterites, bauxites, and duricrusts ( ferricretes, silcretes, calcretes) in an attempt to define the different types of lateritic facies and to delineate the conditions in which they form. Part 2 on denudation processes is organized into two chapters. Chapter 5 (surface processes in tropical climates) is an inventory of factors causing erosion: rainfall, infiltration, runoff, and their effect on river sediment yields. Runoff, gully, and fluvial types of erosion are distinguished. Chapter 6 (landsliding and other mass movements) describes slope failures as well as stability and instability of landscapes controlled by vegetation, rainfall, and relief. Parf 3 on quaternary environmental change and landform development also includes two chapters. Chapter 7 (Quaternary changes in the tropics) is mostly devoted to climatic oscillations and their impact on tropical geomorphology. Chapter 8 (landforms and deposits associated with environmental changes) describes the formation of pediments, alluvial fans, stone lines, and colluvial or alluvial deposits. The evolution of tropical landscapes is presented in Part 4 thru chapters mostly devoted to geomorphology. Chapter 9 treats etching processes and landform development such as peneplanation and
Institut de Gkologie UniversiCPLouis Pasteur Strasbourg, France 5363
Yves Tardy