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Marine gravity (Elsevier oceanography series, 22)
342 others with more narrow subjects. The titles mentioned below may give an impression of the multiplicity of the material in question: Abrasion pH; Bedding Genesis; Carbonate Sediments -- Diagenesis; Desert Sedimentary Environments; Evaporites -- Physicochemical Conditions of Origin; Fulgurites; Glacial Gravels; Hardground Diagenesis; Impact Law; Kerogen; Lunar Sedimentation; Maturity; Neritic Sedimentary Facies; Organic Sediments; Paleocurrent Analysis; Quartzose Sandstone; Raindrop Imprint; Sedimentary Facies and Plate Tectonics; Tar Sands; Udden Scale; Volcaniclastic Sediments and Rocks; Water-Escape Structures. Most articles are illustrated with diagrams, line drawings, and in some cases with photos. Each article is followed by a list of important references and finally by cross references. The reviewer has found that this work is an exciting acquaintance. All is criticizable, and also in this case it would be possible to find and add some sceptical remarks. The reviewer, however, finds that these are quite secondary, and do not disturb the impression that this is a brilliant work which is extremely useful to have at hand for all users of sedimentological knowledge. G. LARSEN (Aarhus)
Marine Gravity (Elsevier Oceanography Series, 22). P. Dehlinger. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1978, 322 pp., US $64.50/Df1.145.00. This b o o k gives a new introductory account of the Earth's gravity field in general and describes in more particular detail the application of the gravity method to major problems of the oceanic regions. Professor Dehlinger is a particularly suitable person to w r i t e such a book, as he has been one of the pioneers in the measurement of gravity from surface ships. The b o o k covers some of the same general ground as the well known text by Heiskanen and Vening Meinesz which was published in 1958. Most of our present knowledge of the gravity field at sea has been obtained since then by surface ship gravimetry. The advent of this new introductory t e x t b o o k is therefore timely. It will go some way towards providing a modern replacement for Heiskanen and Vening Meinesz. The opening chapter of the b o o k gives a particularly useful historical account of the gravimetric m e t h o d from Galileo to the present day. This is followed by two chapters describing the basic potential theory and its application to geodetic problems and the Earth tides. The b o o k is pitched at an intermediate mathematical level, giving the first order theory of the spheroid b u t stating Stoke's theorem on the geoid without development. Chapter 4 gives a brief description of the broad features of the Earth's interior followed by a more thorough description of the theory of isostasy and flexure of the lithosphere. The following three chapters deal successively with gravity measuring instruments, reduction of observations, and interpretation methods for local anomalies. The final chapter, which forms almost a third of the book, reviews our present knowledge of marine gravity anomalies
343
and their structural interpretation, and imparts a distinctive flavour to the book. The b o o k will be welcomed by geophysicists as providing an up-to-date account of the gravity m e t h o d and its scientific, rather than mineral prospecting, applications. Those of us who teach the gravity method will find the b o o k useful in many ways. M.H.P. BOTT (Durham)
The North-West European Shelf Seas: The Sea Bed and the Sea in Motion, I. Geology and Sedimentology. F.T. Banner, M.B. Collins and K.S. Massie (Editors). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1979, 300 pp., US $68.25/Dfl. 140.00. The continental shelf of Northwest Europe is substantially larger in area than the islands it supports, y e t until comparatively recently was little known geologically and as a physical environment. The b o o k is the first of a two-volume work, under the editorship of F.T. Banner, M.B. Collins, and K.S. Massie (Department of Oceanography, University College of Swansea), that is intended to provide for this area a summary and evaluation of our knowledge of the physical character of the sea bed and its underlying geological structure, together with the movement of water and sediment over the sea floor. Volume one deals in eight chapters with the geology and sedimentology of the Northwest European shelf, that portion to the west of the British Isles being emphasized. F.T. Banner provides a general introduction to the shelf, while R.J. Bailey summarizes and relates to plate tectonics the shelf and outlying banks between Porcupine Ridge and Rockall Bank. M.R. Dobson contrasts the post-Permian development of the Malin Sea, a province typified by igneous activity and a generally low net deposition rate, with the North Celtic Sea, marked by a lack of igneous activity and a generally high rate of sediment accumulation. D.J. Blundell presents a summary of the structure and stratigraphy of the Celtic Sea, and D. Hamilton sketches the character of the English Channel, South Celtic Sea, and the Southwestern Approaches, concluding with an account of the Holocene sediments and the dispersal patterns of sand-grade material today. A long chapter by P. Bishop and E.J.W. Jones gives a detailed account of an original investigation into the glacial and post-glacial sedimentation in the Minches, a narrow seaway dividing the Hebridean Islands from the Scottish mainland. Sediment distribution in the area is related to the history of glacier movement and to the patterns of tidal and other currents today. Turning to the North Sea, V.N.D. Caston presents a valuable summary of the data thus far available on the distribution and character of Quaternary sediments; he concludes with an account of the distribution of sand waves and other large bed forms, and with a summary of the inferred transport paths. The final chapter in the b o o k comprises a series of reflections by F.T. Banner (with a contribution by S.J. Culver) on various problems related to the shelf sediments (relict sediments, bedform facings apparently contradicted
Marine Gravity (Elsevier Oceanography Series, 22). P. Dehlinger. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1978, 322 pp., US $64.50/Df1.145.00. This b o o k gives a new introductory account of the Earth's gravity field in general and describes in more particular detail the application of the gravity method to major problems of the oceanic regions. Professor Dehlinger is a particularly suitable person to w r i t e such a book, as he has been one of the pioneers in the measurement of gravity from surface ships. The b o o k covers some of the same general ground as the well known text by Heiskanen and Vening Meinesz which was published in 1958. Most of our present knowledge of the gravity field at sea has been obtained since then by surface ship gravimetry. The advent of this new introductory t e x t b o o k is therefore timely. It will go some way towards providing a modern replacement for Heiskanen and Vening Meinesz. The opening chapter of the b o o k gives a particularly useful historical account of the gravimetric m e t h o d from Galileo to the present day. This is followed by two chapters describing the basic potential theory and its application to geodetic problems and the Earth tides. The b o o k is pitched at an intermediate mathematical level, giving the first order theory of the spheroid b u t stating Stoke's theorem on the geoid without development. Chapter 4 gives a brief description of the broad features of the Earth's interior followed by a more thorough description of the theory of isostasy and flexure of the lithosphere. The following three chapters deal successively with gravity measuring instruments, reduction of observations, and interpretation methods for local anomalies. The final chapter, which forms almost a third of the book, reviews our present knowledge of marine gravity anomalies
343
and their structural interpretation, and imparts a distinctive flavour to the book. The b o o k will be welcomed by geophysicists as providing an up-to-date account of the gravity m e t h o d and its scientific, rather than mineral prospecting, applications. Those of us who teach the gravity method will find the b o o k useful in many ways. M.H.P. BOTT (Durham)
The North-West European Shelf Seas: The Sea Bed and the Sea in Motion, I. Geology and Sedimentology. F.T. Banner, M.B. Collins and K.S. Massie (Editors). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1979, 300 pp., US $68.25/Dfl. 140.00. The continental shelf of Northwest Europe is substantially larger in area than the islands it supports, y e t until comparatively recently was little known geologically and as a physical environment. The b o o k is the first of a two-volume work, under the editorship of F.T. Banner, M.B. Collins, and K.S. Massie (Department of Oceanography, University College of Swansea), that is intended to provide for this area a summary and evaluation of our knowledge of the physical character of the sea bed and its underlying geological structure, together with the movement of water and sediment over the sea floor. Volume one deals in eight chapters with the geology and sedimentology of the Northwest European shelf, that portion to the west of the British Isles being emphasized. F.T. Banner provides a general introduction to the shelf, while R.J. Bailey summarizes and relates to plate tectonics the shelf and outlying banks between Porcupine Ridge and Rockall Bank. M.R. Dobson contrasts the post-Permian development of the Malin Sea, a province typified by igneous activity and a generally low net deposition rate, with the North Celtic Sea, marked by a lack of igneous activity and a generally high rate of sediment accumulation. D.J. Blundell presents a summary of the structure and stratigraphy of the Celtic Sea, and D. Hamilton sketches the character of the English Channel, South Celtic Sea, and the Southwestern Approaches, concluding with an account of the Holocene sediments and the dispersal patterns of sand-grade material today. A long chapter by P. Bishop and E.J.W. Jones gives a detailed account of an original investigation into the glacial and post-glacial sedimentation in the Minches, a narrow seaway dividing the Hebridean Islands from the Scottish mainland. Sediment distribution in the area is related to the history of glacier movement and to the patterns of tidal and other currents today. Turning to the North Sea, V.N.D. Caston presents a valuable summary of the data thus far available on the distribution and character of Quaternary sediments; he concludes with an account of the distribution of sand waves and other large bed forms, and with a summary of the inferred transport paths. The final chapter in the b o o k comprises a series of reflections by F.T. Banner (with a contribution by S.J. Culver) on various problems related to the shelf sediments (relict sediments, bedform facings apparently contradicted