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Soil mineralogy with environmental applications
Geoderma 2007 (2003) 1 – 3 www.elsevier.com/locate/geoderma
Book review Soil Mineralogy with Environmental Applications By J. Dixon and D.G. Schulze (eds.), SSSA, Madison. Hardbound, 866 pp. ISBN 0891188398. Price: US$99 This book is the seventh in the well-received SSSA book series. It contains chapters on: An introduction to soil mineralogy, Surface chemistry of soil minerals, Soil organic matter and organic – mineral interactions, Mineral equilibria in environmental soil systems, Methods for determination of mineralogy and environmental availability, Carbonates and evaporates, Sulfides and sulfates (sic), Aluminium hydroxides, Allophane and imogolite, Iron oxides, Manganese oxides, Kaolin-serpentine minerals, Pyrophyllite-talc minerals, Micas, Smectites, Vermiculites, Chlorites, Palygorskite and sepiolite, Zeolites, Silica minerals, Phosphate minerals, Titanium and zirconium minerals, Soil minerals, their geographic distribution and soil taxonomy, Mineralogy and soil tectonics, Radionuclidecontaminated soils: a mineralogical perspective for their remediation, Reactions of pesticides with soil minerals, Interactions of enzymes with clays and applications in bioremediation, and Charcoal in soils: a preliminary view. The book represents something of a hybrid between a traditional soil mineralogy volume and one dealing with environmental applications of mineralogy. As suggested by the title, the emphasis is on mineralogy but there is more than a token environmental presence. This is important as it illustrates that the discipline of mineralogy is not something limited to fusty museums and dry display collections but has an important role to play in understanding how our environment functions and how it is affected by the hand of man. It provides a very welcome summary of the current state of knowledge on these topics with each chapter containing references both to original works and recent reviews. An immediate question that might be raised by a potential purchaser is ‘‘How does the content of this volume compare with that of the previous SSSA volume ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’, also co-edited by Dixon?’’. A comparison of the chapter headings reveals that the current volume has 19 chapters in common with the earlier book, but of these, only 7 have authors in common. Chapters present in ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’ but absent in this latest volume are: An introduction to organic matter in mineral soils, Mineral occurrence in soil environments, Interstratification in layer silicates, and Feldspars, olivines, pyroxenes and amphiboles. Some of the information present in these ‘‘missing’’ chapters is included elsewhere in the current volume, whilst the mineralogical predilections of the individual will determine how great a loss a chapter dedicated to some of the primary silicates is perceived to be! An inclusion in the current volume of a short chapter dedicated to primary rock forming silicates from which many environmentally significant soil minerals are derived would have been useful.
doi:10.1016/S0016-7061(03)00113-7
2
Book review
The chapters are authored by different individuals and to ensure a degree of uniformity in the chapters those dealing with the different mineral groups are arranged as follows: Structure, composition and morphology, Chemical and physical properties, Abundance, distribution and formation, Environmental significance, Identification and quantification, Summary and research needs, Acknowledgements, Case studies, Questions and exercises, References. This chapter structure is slightly different to that in the ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’ volume but rather than the chapters containing substantially new chunks of information and excluding previously included material, there is generally merely a reorganisation of material. Thus whilst the new volume contains a section on ‘‘Environmental significance’’, this material was often included in the previous volume (though perhaps less obviously and in less detail) but under different headings, for example, within a longer ‘‘Chemical properties’’ section. In terms of chapter length, chapters are slightly shorter than those in ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’. This reduction is achieved by the reorganisation of the chapters, and a reduction in the amount of mineralogical trivia that is probably only of interest to the truly committed mineralogist who, in all likelihood, will already possess a copy of the earlier book. All the chapters are well written and are very readable. Two particularly welcome additions to the current volume as compared to ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’ are the ‘‘Case study’’ sections, providing examples of the principles outlined in the preceding chapter, and glossaries at the ends of at least some chapters defining less familiar words. Each chapter is clearly illustrated with black and white diagrams and data summarised in well laid out tables. In addition, colour plates are included in many of the chapters allowing for the presentation of, for example, more eyecatching mineral structure diagrams, photographs of minerals, soil profiles and thin sections. In their preface, the editors state that the book is ‘‘for students and others, from all disciplines, professionally interested in soil mineralogy’’. I am sure that all these interest groups will find the volume of worth. Students and those running introductory mineralogy courses will benefit particularly from the first five general chapters, whilst those with a need for more detailed information will be able to make use of the chapters on individual mineral groups. The final six chapters of the book are rather a mixed bag in terms of subject matter. However, all are eminently readable, worthy of inclusion in the volume, and represent rich pickings for those running soil courses with an environmental spin. As a non-American I may have wished to see a broader application of the concept of soil mineralogy families in the chapter on Distribution of soil minerals and soil taxonomy, but given the identity of both the publishers and the chapter authors, the American bias is perhaps inevitable and understandable—though not necessarily excusable. Another small gripe would be the use by a variety of the authors of the phrase ‘‘heavy metal’’. Whilst many scientists are guilty of this crime, it is now stated IUPAC policy that the phrase should not be used on account of the multiple, nonscientific, often contradictory definitions of the term that exist. In this age of word processors, it would have required little effort on behalf of the editors to eradicate this phrase from the book, possibly replacing it with just ‘‘metal’’ or ‘‘potentially toxic element’’. However, it may be the case that the IUPAC report was produced after the volume had already gone to press, in which case it is to be hoped that the heinous phrase will be eradicated from a 2nd edition.
Book review
3
And, finally, the key question, Is this book worth purchasing? To those thinking of updating their 1st edition of Dixon and Weed’s ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’, to students majoring in mineralogy or soil science, and to professionals involved with soil mineralogy, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. To those doing first year courses in soil science or mineralogy, should you happen to be reading this review, at least go to the library and see if it stocks this book. In it you will find lots of useful information for your courses. To those readers who have recently invested in a copy of the 2nd edition of Dixon and Weed, I would advise contacting your book seller to see if you can swap the volumes. If this is not possible, I would still encourage you to buy this book although you will have to resign yourself to a large amount of overlap between the two. Mark Hodson Department of Soil Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6DW, UK E-mail address: [email protected]
Book review Soil Mineralogy with Environmental Applications By J. Dixon and D.G. Schulze (eds.), SSSA, Madison. Hardbound, 866 pp. ISBN 0891188398. Price: US$99 This book is the seventh in the well-received SSSA book series. It contains chapters on: An introduction to soil mineralogy, Surface chemistry of soil minerals, Soil organic matter and organic – mineral interactions, Mineral equilibria in environmental soil systems, Methods for determination of mineralogy and environmental availability, Carbonates and evaporates, Sulfides and sulfates (sic), Aluminium hydroxides, Allophane and imogolite, Iron oxides, Manganese oxides, Kaolin-serpentine minerals, Pyrophyllite-talc minerals, Micas, Smectites, Vermiculites, Chlorites, Palygorskite and sepiolite, Zeolites, Silica minerals, Phosphate minerals, Titanium and zirconium minerals, Soil minerals, their geographic distribution and soil taxonomy, Mineralogy and soil tectonics, Radionuclidecontaminated soils: a mineralogical perspective for their remediation, Reactions of pesticides with soil minerals, Interactions of enzymes with clays and applications in bioremediation, and Charcoal in soils: a preliminary view. The book represents something of a hybrid between a traditional soil mineralogy volume and one dealing with environmental applications of mineralogy. As suggested by the title, the emphasis is on mineralogy but there is more than a token environmental presence. This is important as it illustrates that the discipline of mineralogy is not something limited to fusty museums and dry display collections but has an important role to play in understanding how our environment functions and how it is affected by the hand of man. It provides a very welcome summary of the current state of knowledge on these topics with each chapter containing references both to original works and recent reviews. An immediate question that might be raised by a potential purchaser is ‘‘How does the content of this volume compare with that of the previous SSSA volume ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’, also co-edited by Dixon?’’. A comparison of the chapter headings reveals that the current volume has 19 chapters in common with the earlier book, but of these, only 7 have authors in common. Chapters present in ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’ but absent in this latest volume are: An introduction to organic matter in mineral soils, Mineral occurrence in soil environments, Interstratification in layer silicates, and Feldspars, olivines, pyroxenes and amphiboles. Some of the information present in these ‘‘missing’’ chapters is included elsewhere in the current volume, whilst the mineralogical predilections of the individual will determine how great a loss a chapter dedicated to some of the primary silicates is perceived to be! An inclusion in the current volume of a short chapter dedicated to primary rock forming silicates from which many environmentally significant soil minerals are derived would have been useful.
doi:10.1016/S0016-7061(03)00113-7
2
Book review
The chapters are authored by different individuals and to ensure a degree of uniformity in the chapters those dealing with the different mineral groups are arranged as follows: Structure, composition and morphology, Chemical and physical properties, Abundance, distribution and formation, Environmental significance, Identification and quantification, Summary and research needs, Acknowledgements, Case studies, Questions and exercises, References. This chapter structure is slightly different to that in the ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’ volume but rather than the chapters containing substantially new chunks of information and excluding previously included material, there is generally merely a reorganisation of material. Thus whilst the new volume contains a section on ‘‘Environmental significance’’, this material was often included in the previous volume (though perhaps less obviously and in less detail) but under different headings, for example, within a longer ‘‘Chemical properties’’ section. In terms of chapter length, chapters are slightly shorter than those in ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’. This reduction is achieved by the reorganisation of the chapters, and a reduction in the amount of mineralogical trivia that is probably only of interest to the truly committed mineralogist who, in all likelihood, will already possess a copy of the earlier book. All the chapters are well written and are very readable. Two particularly welcome additions to the current volume as compared to ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’ are the ‘‘Case study’’ sections, providing examples of the principles outlined in the preceding chapter, and glossaries at the ends of at least some chapters defining less familiar words. Each chapter is clearly illustrated with black and white diagrams and data summarised in well laid out tables. In addition, colour plates are included in many of the chapters allowing for the presentation of, for example, more eyecatching mineral structure diagrams, photographs of minerals, soil profiles and thin sections. In their preface, the editors state that the book is ‘‘for students and others, from all disciplines, professionally interested in soil mineralogy’’. I am sure that all these interest groups will find the volume of worth. Students and those running introductory mineralogy courses will benefit particularly from the first five general chapters, whilst those with a need for more detailed information will be able to make use of the chapters on individual mineral groups. The final six chapters of the book are rather a mixed bag in terms of subject matter. However, all are eminently readable, worthy of inclusion in the volume, and represent rich pickings for those running soil courses with an environmental spin. As a non-American I may have wished to see a broader application of the concept of soil mineralogy families in the chapter on Distribution of soil minerals and soil taxonomy, but given the identity of both the publishers and the chapter authors, the American bias is perhaps inevitable and understandable—though not necessarily excusable. Another small gripe would be the use by a variety of the authors of the phrase ‘‘heavy metal’’. Whilst many scientists are guilty of this crime, it is now stated IUPAC policy that the phrase should not be used on account of the multiple, nonscientific, often contradictory definitions of the term that exist. In this age of word processors, it would have required little effort on behalf of the editors to eradicate this phrase from the book, possibly replacing it with just ‘‘metal’’ or ‘‘potentially toxic element’’. However, it may be the case that the IUPAC report was produced after the volume had already gone to press, in which case it is to be hoped that the heinous phrase will be eradicated from a 2nd edition.
Book review
3
And, finally, the key question, Is this book worth purchasing? To those thinking of updating their 1st edition of Dixon and Weed’s ‘‘Minerals in soil environments’’, to students majoring in mineralogy or soil science, and to professionals involved with soil mineralogy, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. To those doing first year courses in soil science or mineralogy, should you happen to be reading this review, at least go to the library and see if it stocks this book. In it you will find lots of useful information for your courses. To those readers who have recently invested in a copy of the 2nd edition of Dixon and Weed, I would advise contacting your book seller to see if you can swap the volumes. If this is not possible, I would still encourage you to buy this book although you will have to resign yourself to a large amount of overlap between the two. Mark Hodson Department of Soil Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6DW, UK E-mail address: [email protected]