Physics and chemistry of the Earth, vol. II. Origin and distribution of the elements

158 fifty volumes, suggests t h a t there is a demand for this type of book. However, because of its limited usefulness, individuals -- as opposed to libraries -might well toss up between this book and such texts as Eglinton and Murphy's Organic Geochemistry (1969) and Swain's Non-Marine Organic Geochemistry (1970). REFERENCES Eglinton, G. and Murphy, M.T.J. (Editors), 1969. Organic Geochemistry -- Methods and Results. Springer, Berlin, 828 pp. Shorey, E.C., 1913. Some organic soil constituents. U.S. Dep. Agric., Bur. Soils, Bull. No. 88, 41 pp. Swain, F.M., 1970. Non-Marine Organic Geochemistry. Cambridge University Press, London, 445 pp. BENNY K.G. THENG (Lower Hutt)

Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Vol. H. Origin and Distribution of the Elements. L.H. Ahrens (Editor). Second International Symposium on the Origin and Distribution of the Elements, UNESCO, May 1977. Pergamon Press Ltd., Oxford, 1979, 909 pp., US $ 80.00.

The Origin and Distribution of the Elements is a volume containing papers from the Second International Symposium on the Origin and Distribution of the Elements held at UNESCO headquarters in May 1977. The book is divided into nine sections as follows with the percent of the volume dedicated to each section given in parenthesis: Cosmochemistry (9%), Planetology (7%), Hydrosphere--Atmosphere (2%), Distribution and Behavior of Trace Elements (13%), Geochemistry of the Surface (10%), Geochemistry of the Oceanic and Continental Crust (27%), Geochemistry of the Upper Mantle (8%), Geochemistry and Detection of Mineral Deposits (15%), and Geochemistry and Health (9%). Each section covers a wide range of subject matter. Papers include those presenting new data (viz. such as those by Mosser, Subbaro et al., Demaiffe et al.), those concerned with geochemical models (viz. such as those by Iiyama, Berner, Beus), and review papers (such as those by Haskin, and Ehmann et al.). There is a considerable range in the depth and overall quality of papers with some representing little more than expanded abstracts. The most attractive feature of the book is the review papers although few in number. The book has good subject and author indexes which make it easy to locate specific topics in different articles. The cosmochemistry section deals with topics in nueleosynthesis, composition of solar wind, and meteorites; a new table of solar abundances is also presented in the article by Pagel. The planetology section deals chiefly with lunar and meteorite geochemistry and geochronology and most articles have been published elsewhere or superseded by more recent articles. The hydro-

159 sphere--atmosphere section is greatly under-represented and the article by Kulish on the Archean atmosphere presents nothing new nor is it a review article. The trace-element section covers topics dealing chiefly with descriptive studies of trace-element distributions, distribution coefficients and strontium isotopes. In the surface geochemistry section, Veizer has a short review article on secular compositional trends in sediments which has been published in greater detail elsewhere. Other topics covered in this section include applications to diagenesis, weathering, and sedimentary environments. The sections on the crust and upper mantle (comprising most of the volume) cover a wide diversity of topics including applications to Archean as well as to modern igneous rocks. The articles in the mineral deposits section are chiefly in French and include applications to the genesis of U, Mn, Fe, Zn, and various other metallic deposits. The geochemistry and health section deals chiefly with toxic elements and pollution studies. A major criticism of the book is the more than two years lag time between the conference and the publication date. Many of the papers were published, in part or entirely, in other publications during this time. Also, many of the topics that were timely in 1977 are not so timely in 1979. For these reasons together, with the high price of the book, it is not likely to be purchased by many individual scientists. I recommend it solely for institutional libraries. KENT C. CONDIE (Socorro, N.M.)

Origin of Granite Batholiths: Geochemical Evidence. M.P. A t h e r t o n and J. Tarney (Editors). Shiva Publishing Ltd., Orpington, Kent, 1979, 148 pp., UK £ 4.50/US $ 9.00. This admirable little volume gives a current perspective of various geochemical aspects and integrally related petrologic features of granitic rocks. It conrains 11 papers and is a summary of the proceedings of a meeting of the Geochemical Group of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain. Included are discussions of trace~element and isotope data as t h e y pertain to both individual plutons and a regional-scale distribution, relations of petrologic zoning and emplacement features in several plutons, and the implication of the data for, and the constraint on, various models of petrogenesis. Some thirty years ago, H.H. Read emphasized the petrogenetic diversity of granitic rocks. This volume shows that Read's dictum is ever more true. Nonetheless, clear progress has been made, for example, in the recognition of spatially and chemically related classes of granitic rocks, and of structural control on emplacement. For some individual intrusions, a strong case can be made for at least a qualitative model of petrogenesis which is consistent with all known data --chemical and petrologic. This book is recommended for its well-written review of timely data as well as for the overview of current concepts of granite petrogenesis. The list of references (15 pages} is comprehensive for recent publications. It is noted t h a t