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Geology of the Northwest African continental margin
Tectonoph_ysrcs, 117 (1985) 345-356
Elsewer
Science Publishers
345
B.V.. Amsterdam
- Printed
in The Netherlands
Book Reviews
Geolog)? of the Northwest Sarntheim
African
Continentul
and E. Seibold (Editors).
DMl lO.OO/approx
Springer,
Margin.
U. von
Rad,
K. Hinz,
M.
Berlin, 1982, xi + 703 pp., 325 figs.,
US $51.20 (hardback)
The book is a broad reaching collection of papers concerned with structure, volcanism, stratigraphy, sedimentation, paleontology and geochemistry of the northwest African continental margin from Gibraltar to Sierra Leone. Most papers deal with features of the continental shelf and slope, but some papers discuss their onshore extensions. The data in the book were collected throughout the 1970’s by a variety of means including D.S.D.P. and cruises funded by the government of West Germany.
Some previously
published
data are referenced
and included
for compari-
son purposes as well as to aid in development of theories. Interpretations of data were compiled for a symposium in 1980. In 1981 it was decided to publish a synthesis of the reports in a single volume. The book was published in 1982 and distributed in 1983. Print style varies greatly within the book. The editors excuse this on the of speeding publication and minimizing costs. Other aspects of the book uneven but no more so than might be expected when the works of so many from so many disciplines are brought together in one place. Most of the fresh and interesting despite the wide range in dates of their acquisition
grounds are also authors data are and the
overlap with Deep Sea Drilling Project reports. The unfortunate (but probably unavoidable) lag between data collection and interpretation, and distribution of the volume has rendered the book somewhat out of date, already. For example, although ideas about the possible role of detachment faulting in formation of Mesozoic fault basins along the east coast of North America were presented years ago, they are still too recent to have influenced the interpretations in the volume. Lists of references are extensive and helpful as an entree to the European literature. The book’s organization
is good, enhancing
its usefulness.
Seibold’s
introduction
is well written. It is not only informative in a general way but also helps the reader find a way through the volume. Several papers stand out. Paper No. 5 (Atlas and Atlantic-Structural Relations) by Stets and Wurster is well written and progresses smoothly from data to hypothesis and finally to speculation about the evolution of the Atlas Mountains in relation to the evolution of the Atlantic Ocean. Paper No. 7 (Cretaceous-Cenozoic History of the West Saharan Continental Margin (NW Africa): Development, Destruction and Gravitational Sedimentation) by von Rad and Wissmann is an excellent attempt to take new off-shore data, interpret them, and relate them to older on-shore data in an informative and comprehensible manner. Paper No. 11 (Mesozoic-Cenozoic Development of the Eastern North
346
American and Northwest African Continental Margins: .A Comparison) by Jansa and Wiedmann is a synthesis of results of research, new and old, from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The majority of the rest of the papers are interesting and valuable but some of them are long on presentation of data and short on interpretation. The strengths of the volume Far outweigh its shortcomings. It will make a valuable addition to the library of all who have an interest in the geologic history of the Atlantic Ocean. RICHARD
W. BERRY (San Diego. Calil.. U.S.A.)
High-Pressure Research in Geophysics. S. Akimoto and M.H. Manghnani (Editors).
Reidel, Dordrecht, in co-edition with Center for Academic Publications, Tokyo, 1982, xiii + 632 pp., Dfl.260.00/approx. $113.00 (clothbound) Research on the high pressure-high temperature properties of candidate earth forming minerals has in recent years intensified significantly. Investigation of the earth’s interior, which in some ways remains more mysterious than that of the sun, has Forced earth scientists to pose, and attempt to answer, many interesting questions in the realm of Fundamental physics and chemistry at high pressures. Fairly spectacular advances are being made in techniques of ultra high pressure generation, coupled with in situ diagnostics that include not only pressure and temperature measurements, but also X-ray, Brillouin, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, as well as rheological and melting temperature measurements. These experimental efforts are accompanied by a variety of theoretical studies, ranging from models of the macroscopic dynamics of the mantle, to solid models based on elasticity theory, to quantum mechanical studies of bonding and lattice dynamics under high pressure conditions. Much of the activity in high pressure geophysics is concentrated in the U.S. and Japan. This has led to significant collaboration among the scientists in the two “High-Pressure Research: Applicacountries, as exemplified by the U.S.-Japan tions in Geophysics” conferences. The second of these conferences was held during January, 1981, in Hakone, Japan. Besides 40 Japanese and 21 American scientists there were 6 participants representing Australia, France, Germany, Taiwan and the U.S.S.R. Of the 47 papers presented at the conference, 45 are included in this volume. They are organized into 7 sections, corresponding to the 7 sessions at the conference. A fairly detailed index is helpful in locating those thematically related papers that are occasionally dispersed among several sections. Many excellent papers are to be found in this book. Although the subject coverage is broad, the emphasis is on laboratory experiment. Principal topics that are covered include recent t~hnolo~cal improvements that speed up the collection
Elsewer
Science Publishers
345
B.V.. Amsterdam
- Printed
in The Netherlands
Book Reviews
Geolog)? of the Northwest Sarntheim
African
Continentul
and E. Seibold (Editors).
DMl lO.OO/approx
Springer,
Margin.
U. von
Rad,
K. Hinz,
M.
Berlin, 1982, xi + 703 pp., 325 figs.,
US $51.20 (hardback)
The book is a broad reaching collection of papers concerned with structure, volcanism, stratigraphy, sedimentation, paleontology and geochemistry of the northwest African continental margin from Gibraltar to Sierra Leone. Most papers deal with features of the continental shelf and slope, but some papers discuss their onshore extensions. The data in the book were collected throughout the 1970’s by a variety of means including D.S.D.P. and cruises funded by the government of West Germany.
Some previously
published
data are referenced
and included
for compari-
son purposes as well as to aid in development of theories. Interpretations of data were compiled for a symposium in 1980. In 1981 it was decided to publish a synthesis of the reports in a single volume. The book was published in 1982 and distributed in 1983. Print style varies greatly within the book. The editors excuse this on the of speeding publication and minimizing costs. Other aspects of the book uneven but no more so than might be expected when the works of so many from so many disciplines are brought together in one place. Most of the fresh and interesting despite the wide range in dates of their acquisition
grounds are also authors data are and the
overlap with Deep Sea Drilling Project reports. The unfortunate (but probably unavoidable) lag between data collection and interpretation, and distribution of the volume has rendered the book somewhat out of date, already. For example, although ideas about the possible role of detachment faulting in formation of Mesozoic fault basins along the east coast of North America were presented years ago, they are still too recent to have influenced the interpretations in the volume. Lists of references are extensive and helpful as an entree to the European literature. The book’s organization
is good, enhancing
its usefulness.
Seibold’s
introduction
is well written. It is not only informative in a general way but also helps the reader find a way through the volume. Several papers stand out. Paper No. 5 (Atlas and Atlantic-Structural Relations) by Stets and Wurster is well written and progresses smoothly from data to hypothesis and finally to speculation about the evolution of the Atlas Mountains in relation to the evolution of the Atlantic Ocean. Paper No. 7 (Cretaceous-Cenozoic History of the West Saharan Continental Margin (NW Africa): Development, Destruction and Gravitational Sedimentation) by von Rad and Wissmann is an excellent attempt to take new off-shore data, interpret them, and relate them to older on-shore data in an informative and comprehensible manner. Paper No. 11 (Mesozoic-Cenozoic Development of the Eastern North
346
American and Northwest African Continental Margins: .A Comparison) by Jansa and Wiedmann is a synthesis of results of research, new and old, from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The majority of the rest of the papers are interesting and valuable but some of them are long on presentation of data and short on interpretation. The strengths of the volume Far outweigh its shortcomings. It will make a valuable addition to the library of all who have an interest in the geologic history of the Atlantic Ocean. RICHARD
W. BERRY (San Diego. Calil.. U.S.A.)
High-Pressure Research in Geophysics. S. Akimoto and M.H. Manghnani (Editors).
Reidel, Dordrecht, in co-edition with Center for Academic Publications, Tokyo, 1982, xiii + 632 pp., Dfl.260.00/approx. $113.00 (clothbound) Research on the high pressure-high temperature properties of candidate earth forming minerals has in recent years intensified significantly. Investigation of the earth’s interior, which in some ways remains more mysterious than that of the sun, has Forced earth scientists to pose, and attempt to answer, many interesting questions in the realm of Fundamental physics and chemistry at high pressures. Fairly spectacular advances are being made in techniques of ultra high pressure generation, coupled with in situ diagnostics that include not only pressure and temperature measurements, but also X-ray, Brillouin, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, as well as rheological and melting temperature measurements. These experimental efforts are accompanied by a variety of theoretical studies, ranging from models of the macroscopic dynamics of the mantle, to solid models based on elasticity theory, to quantum mechanical studies of bonding and lattice dynamics under high pressure conditions. Much of the activity in high pressure geophysics is concentrated in the U.S. and Japan. This has led to significant collaboration among the scientists in the two “High-Pressure Research: Applicacountries, as exemplified by the U.S.-Japan tions in Geophysics” conferences. The second of these conferences was held during January, 1981, in Hakone, Japan. Besides 40 Japanese and 21 American scientists there were 6 participants representing Australia, France, Germany, Taiwan and the U.S.S.R. Of the 47 papers presented at the conference, 45 are included in this volume. They are organized into 7 sections, corresponding to the 7 sessions at the conference. A fairly detailed index is helpful in locating those thematically related papers that are occasionally dispersed among several sections. Many excellent papers are to be found in this book. Although the subject coverage is broad, the emphasis is on laboratory experiment. Principal topics that are covered include recent t~hnolo~cal improvements that speed up the collection