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The origin of the chemical elements and the oklo phenomenon
0016.703?/84/S3.00+ .OO
Geochrmtcoei CosmochrmrcaAct~ Vol. 48. w. f&f-W? 0 Pezgmon Pms Ltd. 1984. Prmtcd in U.S.A.
BOOK REVIEWS
The Mediterranean Was a Desert. A Voyage of the Glomar Chahnger, by Kenneth J. Hsii, Princeton University Press, 1983, 197 p., $17.95. THIS LITTLEbook is a personal chronicle and narrative of the 13th voyage of the deepsea drilling ship, the Glomar Cba~~enger (1970). It vividly portrays the gradual and painful process of collecting facts, and yet more facts, and then interweaving these hard won facts to create the fabric of a new scientific hypothesis-that the mighty Mediterranean was, for a time, a deep and burning desert. The author was the co-chief scientist on this cruise and much of the effort was his own. It was followed by a second trip, five years later, the results of which served to fix the original hypothesis firmly in the pages of geological science. Spending a month or two on a scientific vessel is inevitably fntstrating. The tools available are only those with which the voyage begins right or wrong there is not another bolt, nut or resistor to be had. The law of dam-cussedness prevails; if it can go wrong, it will. Yet a good group of imaginative hardworking scientists can and did create a great piece of science from two months of painstaking work. Each member of the scientific staff had a part to play, and their ideas and their work is recounted in some detail. Vignettes of the participants are drawn in sharp relief. The saga of toil, of long lonely hours, stretches from the southwest of Portugal to the
The Origin of the Chemical Elements and the Oklo Phenomenon, by P. K. Kuroda, Springer-Verlag New York, 1982, 165 pp., USS39.00.
P. K. KURODA has writtenan int~~ng historical perspective on the study of nuclear processes in nature . . . the principle theme of his own professional career. As the title implies, the discussion is oriented toward manifestations of these processes in the element and isotope composition of matter. Dr. Kuroda establishes the setting with a brief history of pertinent theories as they have evolved over the last dozen decades: this summary is a reminder of the remarkable insight and careful analyses that have contributed to explosive growth in our perception ofthe nature of matter. Against this backdrop, there are specific discussions on a broad variety of topics. including the search for the so-called extinct elements, technetium, promethium, and the trans-uranium elements. There is a particularly thorough review of variations in the isotopic composition of xenon and how these variations have been interpreted not only in terms of the existence of extinct elements but also with regard to the history of matter before formation of the solar system. Appropriately intertwined with discussions of the experimental search for exotic elements and nuclides are presentations of the theoretical considerations of processes that produce elements and nuclides. These include processes that have occurred in the terrestrial environment, such as spontaneous fission and the sustained neutron induced fission that
Nile Cone. Each area presented its own scientific problems and the methodology of each solution is graphically portrayed. At the end, we leave the book with a sense of wonder at how skillfully the problems were overcome and how a cohesive interpretation was formed from subtle clues. The book really seems to have three purposes. First and foremost, it is a personal chronicle. Second, it is the summation of a significant piece of scientific work, the various parts of which actually span some t&en years of hard work and thinking The third purpose seems to be to speak for the process of scientific creativity, and in this way it should serve as an inspiration to those considering a career in science. This book is also the story of a friendship-almost of a hero worship. The hero is a modest and unassuming man and it is through his dogged devotion to the quest for knowledge that the work was accomplished. The author, more than all else, loves science and the scientific method, and this is the true romance and passion of the book. B. Charlotte Schreiber Depf. of Earth & Environmentuf Sciences Queens College (CUNY) Flushing, N.Y. 11367 and Lamont-DohertyGeological 0bservator.v Columbia University Palisades, N. Y. 10964
occurred in thick lenses of uranium found at the Oklo mine. In addition, there is an extensive presentation of ideas regarding nucleosynthesis in stars and intergalactic space. Most of the material is presented as well-documented vignettes. In fact, the structure of the presentation often seems to be dictated as much by the chronology of the referenced work as by their logical associations. The principle weakness of the book is an inconsistency in its philosophy and tone. It often deviates from its main mode of a well-referenced sketch to a presentation of excruciating detail. This inconsistency is most exasperating in the entire last chapter where the author attempts to present a unifying explanation for the multitude of isotopic anomalies that have been observed in meteorites over the last decade. In contrast to most of the book, this chapter contains few references and appears to be largely an exposition by Dr. Kuroda. Such ideas are appropriately published in peer-reviewed literature, not in a text or reference book. This publication is an excellent addition to graduate course reference texts in isotopic and nuclear chemistry. Its broad scope and extensive bibliography will also be useful to those beginning to study in the fields of isotope geochemistry and cosmochemistry. It provides a fascinating perspective on these topics by a man who has been personally involved with them during most of his long career.
Los A/Q~BCBNai~onaILaboratory Los Alamos. NM. 87545
601
David Curtis
Geochrmtcoei CosmochrmrcaAct~ Vol. 48. w. f&f-W? 0 Pezgmon Pms Ltd. 1984. Prmtcd in U.S.A.
BOOK REVIEWS
The Mediterranean Was a Desert. A Voyage of the Glomar Chahnger, by Kenneth J. Hsii, Princeton University Press, 1983, 197 p., $17.95. THIS LITTLEbook is a personal chronicle and narrative of the 13th voyage of the deepsea drilling ship, the Glomar Cba~~enger (1970). It vividly portrays the gradual and painful process of collecting facts, and yet more facts, and then interweaving these hard won facts to create the fabric of a new scientific hypothesis-that the mighty Mediterranean was, for a time, a deep and burning desert. The author was the co-chief scientist on this cruise and much of the effort was his own. It was followed by a second trip, five years later, the results of which served to fix the original hypothesis firmly in the pages of geological science. Spending a month or two on a scientific vessel is inevitably fntstrating. The tools available are only those with which the voyage begins right or wrong there is not another bolt, nut or resistor to be had. The law of dam-cussedness prevails; if it can go wrong, it will. Yet a good group of imaginative hardworking scientists can and did create a great piece of science from two months of painstaking work. Each member of the scientific staff had a part to play, and their ideas and their work is recounted in some detail. Vignettes of the participants are drawn in sharp relief. The saga of toil, of long lonely hours, stretches from the southwest of Portugal to the
The Origin of the Chemical Elements and the Oklo Phenomenon, by P. K. Kuroda, Springer-Verlag New York, 1982, 165 pp., USS39.00.
P. K. KURODA has writtenan int~~ng historical perspective on the study of nuclear processes in nature . . . the principle theme of his own professional career. As the title implies, the discussion is oriented toward manifestations of these processes in the element and isotope composition of matter. Dr. Kuroda establishes the setting with a brief history of pertinent theories as they have evolved over the last dozen decades: this summary is a reminder of the remarkable insight and careful analyses that have contributed to explosive growth in our perception ofthe nature of matter. Against this backdrop, there are specific discussions on a broad variety of topics. including the search for the so-called extinct elements, technetium, promethium, and the trans-uranium elements. There is a particularly thorough review of variations in the isotopic composition of xenon and how these variations have been interpreted not only in terms of the existence of extinct elements but also with regard to the history of matter before formation of the solar system. Appropriately intertwined with discussions of the experimental search for exotic elements and nuclides are presentations of the theoretical considerations of processes that produce elements and nuclides. These include processes that have occurred in the terrestrial environment, such as spontaneous fission and the sustained neutron induced fission that
Nile Cone. Each area presented its own scientific problems and the methodology of each solution is graphically portrayed. At the end, we leave the book with a sense of wonder at how skillfully the problems were overcome and how a cohesive interpretation was formed from subtle clues. The book really seems to have three purposes. First and foremost, it is a personal chronicle. Second, it is the summation of a significant piece of scientific work, the various parts of which actually span some t&en years of hard work and thinking The third purpose seems to be to speak for the process of scientific creativity, and in this way it should serve as an inspiration to those considering a career in science. This book is also the story of a friendship-almost of a hero worship. The hero is a modest and unassuming man and it is through his dogged devotion to the quest for knowledge that the work was accomplished. The author, more than all else, loves science and the scientific method, and this is the true romance and passion of the book. B. Charlotte Schreiber Depf. of Earth & Environmentuf Sciences Queens College (CUNY) Flushing, N.Y. 11367 and Lamont-DohertyGeological 0bservator.v Columbia University Palisades, N. Y. 10964
occurred in thick lenses of uranium found at the Oklo mine. In addition, there is an extensive presentation of ideas regarding nucleosynthesis in stars and intergalactic space. Most of the material is presented as well-documented vignettes. In fact, the structure of the presentation often seems to be dictated as much by the chronology of the referenced work as by their logical associations. The principle weakness of the book is an inconsistency in its philosophy and tone. It often deviates from its main mode of a well-referenced sketch to a presentation of excruciating detail. This inconsistency is most exasperating in the entire last chapter where the author attempts to present a unifying explanation for the multitude of isotopic anomalies that have been observed in meteorites over the last decade. In contrast to most of the book, this chapter contains few references and appears to be largely an exposition by Dr. Kuroda. Such ideas are appropriately published in peer-reviewed literature, not in a text or reference book. This publication is an excellent addition to graduate course reference texts in isotopic and nuclear chemistry. Its broad scope and extensive bibliography will also be useful to those beginning to study in the fields of isotope geochemistry and cosmochemistry. It provides a fascinating perspective on these topics by a man who has been personally involved with them during most of his long career.
Los A/Q~BCBNai~onaILaboratory Los Alamos. NM. 87545
601
David Curtis