- Email: [email protected]
Trace Elements in Coal
Book Reviews
927
discussion of trace element systematics would have been useful. After all, interpretation of trace element data is critical for constraining the role of processes such as assimilation and magma mixing, as well as for inferring the characteristics of the source regions of magmas. Similarly, I would like to have seen the chapter on isotope geochemistry placed earlier and greater use of isotopic data made in the section on assimilation. However, these are minor points and reflect my own prejudices. This book is designed as an introductory text for students who have completed undergraduate coursework in physics, chemistry and calculus. It could be used both for undergraduate and beginning-level graduate courses, and would serve as a useful supplementary text for
introductory courses in other subjects (e.g., geophysics). I shah certainly adopt it for my own classes, and it deserves serious consideration by other petrology instructors. In my opinion Principles of Igneous ana’ Metamorphic Petrology is destined not only to become a standard petrology text, but to become the standard against which other books will be judged. It belongs on the shelves of all petrologists, geochemists, and geophysicists, indeed all of those interested in the solid earth.
Planetary Mapping edited by R. Greeley and R. M. Batson. Cam-
the problem of what projection to use in mapping. For experienced planetologists, one of the most interesting chapters will probably be that on Planetary Nomenclature by M. E. Strobe11 and the late H. Masursky (former President of the I.A.U. Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature). Names for topographic features have proliferated almost exponentially since 1964, when Ranger 7 returned the first high-resolution pictures of the Moon, and many researchers have only a vague idea of the etymology of features such as “Gob,” “Bianca,” and “Setibos” (left as an exercise for the reader). And two years of high school Latin four decades ago are little help with physiographic terms such as “scopulus,” “vastitas,” and “labes.” For readers of this journal, the most useful chapter will certainly be “Geologic Mapping” by D. E. Wilhelms. Far more than a “howto-do-it,” this chapter covers the logical foundations of geologic map ping in general, the origin of various lunar and planetary structures and lithologic units, and the role of sun angle in mapping. This chapter should in fact be read by all advanced geology students to increase their understanding of how any sort of geologic mapping is (or should be) done. An interesting implication of this chapter is that fundamentally sound geologic maps of the Moon-at least the near sidecould have been done in the 19th century by applying stratigraphic principles to telescopic observations. For completeness, this review should make it clear what Planetary Mapping is not. It is not an atlas and makes no pretence of presenting encyclopedic coverage of the solar system or even the Moon. (Yenne’s The Atlas of the Solar System, Bison Books, 1987, makes a good complement for this book.) There is little on geophysical or geochemical mapping, a significant omission for the Moon. There are no color plates or fold-out maps, and readers must supply their own stereoscopes for the few stereopairs presented. But Planetary Mapping is a collective tour de force of scientific publishing useful, educational, entertaining, and occasionally humorous-the astonishing “topography” revealed by Lunar Orbiter (p. 188) nicely balances the spherical harmonic expansions. Layout and typography are excellent, as we might expect from a publisher in business since 1584.
bridge University Press, 1990, xi + 296p., US $70.00 (ISBN 0-52130774-0). A RATHER matter-of-fact title has been given to this extraordinarily interesting scientific text, simultaneously (to varying degrees) a history of solar system exploration, a history of solar system astronomy, and an account of the techniques by which the Moon, the solid planets, and dozens of satellites have been mapped since space flight began. Edited by two experienced planetary mappers, the seven chapters are authored by those who have actually pioneered planetary cartography. This book was written just in time, so to speak. Some 30 years have elapsed since modem lunar and planetary mapping began, and many of the pioneers, such as Arnold Mason, Bob Hackman, and one author of this book, Hal Masursky, have died or at best retired. Delayed five more years, Planetary Mapping could have been written, but not by the first generation of space age mappers. The subject matter and organization are summarized by chapter headings: History of Planetary Cartography, Cartography, Planetary Nomenclature, Geodetic Control, Topographic Mapping, and Geologic Mapping. Three appendices cover map projections, printing processes, and digital planetary cartography. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography, chiefly to the primary literature. The treatment level varies. The chapters on Geodetic Control (M. E. Davies) and Topographic Mapping (S. S. C. Wu and F. J. Doyle) give the mathematical foundations of the respective subjects and require a solid grounding in, at the very least, trigonometry. However, most of the book is non-mathematical and should be easy reading for anyone interested in science. The historical aspects of the subject are perhaps of broadest interest. Despite 30 years of experience in lunar research, for example, this reviewer had never seen W. Gilbert’s 1600 naked eye map of the Moon-a strange-looking diagram, yet one in which Mare Imbrium, Oceanus Procellarum, and even Mare Crisium (Gilbert’s “Britannia”) can be recognized. The invention of the telescope shortly thereafter revolutionized lunar mapping, and “the first true map” of the Moon, by van Langren, is recognizably familiar. Van Langren’s nomenclature, however, is not; Armstrong and Aldrin did not land on “Mare Be&urn.” The chapter on Cartography by R. M. Batson illustrates some of the peculiarities of “planetary” mapping. Many of the small satellites and asteroids are potato-shaped-lumpy potatoes at that-presenting
Trace Elements in Coal by Dalway J. Swaine. Butterworth & Co. Publ., 1990, 278p., US $185.00 (ISBN O-408-03309-6).
THE CHEMICAL composition
of coal is related to the behavior of numerous elements which directly or indirectly participate in the life process of plants or in the decay of their remains. Decay reduces the original mass of the plants to only a few percent of the former material and changes the properties of the surrounding environment. In 1930 V. M. Goldschmidt initiated systematic investigations of trace elements in coal and coal ashes after he detected unusual accumulations of Ge in hard coal. He already suggested a commercial exploitation of this element from coal ashes. After the introduction of Ge as semi-
Departmenf of Geological Sciences The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Goddard Space Flight Center Code 922 Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Michael Barton
Paul D. Lowman Jr.
conductor material, etc., some research on trace elements in coal was actually stimulated by commercial interest. D. J. Swaine joined the Australian research institution of coal technology thirty years ago as a soil chemist. His experience is mainly based on trace element investigations predominantly of Australian coals which he compared with results from worldwide sampling. Swaine’s book summarizes the author’s 50 special publications combined with short reviews on information selected from a large set of more than 1500 references. Many readers will be interested in the mode of occurrence of trace elements in coal beds and their origin. The conformable results of several authors indicate that more than 70% of the total Ge, B, Be, Ga, Ti, and V concentrations in coal are associated with their organic fraction. The book could have benefitted
928
Book Reviews
from a critical evaluation of contradicting results on several genetic problems instead of only mentioning them. The central chapter on “Contents of trace elements in coals” contains a comprehensive list ofdata compiled from numerous references. These data (mostly ranges of concentrations in certain geographically selected sets of samples) are arranged in the alphabetical order of 4 1 individual elements. A graphical presentation of the most frequent element concentrations could have replaced or supplemented this large list making it more easily digested by the reader. In the next chapter, ranges and mean values for 3 1 trace elements in coal are compared with the respective concentrations in soil and shale. Half of these elements have comparable levels of average concentrations in coals and shales. Germanium is one of the few elements in which coals are often higher
than shales. The final chapters of the book deal with the environmental impact of coal combustion as wet and dry deposition. Such problems require reports from scientists who are neutral with regard to their professional position. I recommend this book to earth science libraries and scientists engaged in the fields of environmental or coal geochemistry because of its very useful collection of data and references.
Organic Acids in Aquatic Ecosystems edited by E. M. Perdue and
to characterizing organic acids. Unfortunately these methods are not used to interpret water samples in most current studies. This fact is illustrated in tbe last section of this volume which deals with the temporal and spatial variations of dissolved organic carbon. The four background papers in this section, which focus on a number of different environments including forested watersheds (C. S. Cronan), wetlands (H. F. Hemond), and streams and rivers (J. L. Meyer; J. R. &dell and C. N. Dahm), rely almost exclusively on measured values of total dissolved organic carbon as their data source. It is apparent that the application of new techniques leading to a more detailed understanding of the composition of the organics will provide valuable insight into these complex problems. The need to refine existing techniques and develop better methods for the characterization of dissolved organic acids is emphasized in the bulk of the other contributions to this volume. A series of papers focus on ambiguities and uncertainties in existing experimental/ sampling techniques, including the work of M. S. Shuman on errors in organic carbon acidity measurements arising from extraction techniques, that of E. M. Perdue on the sensitivity of pH measurements to uncertainties in titration data, and that of J. R. Kramer and others on the variability of organic acid composition based on sampling locality and resident time of the organics in solution. Future improved techniques will aid greatly in the understanding of the interaction of the dissolved organics on their environment, which depend critically on the solute composition. For example, as pointed out in a paper by D. A. Francko, depending on the composition of the dissolved organic acid in solution, these organic solutes can either remove or increase the amount of essential nutrients from surface waters and/or sequester toxic substances from the existing biota. Similarly, other papers by E. Tipping and G. T. Gjessing indicate that the understanding of the composition of organic acid compositions are essential to quantifying their absorption on mineral surfaces and their interaction with inorganic anions. It is clear from reading this book that we are just beginning to understand the nature of dissolved organic carbon in natural environments and this field is ripe for major advances in the near future. The multidisciplinary approach adopted in this contribution is essential for further research progress. As such, this volume provides an excellent starting point for those wishing to become actively involved in this research in the coming years.
E. T. Gjessing. J. Wiley&Sons, 0-471-92631-O).
1990, xiii + 345p., US $52.50 (ISBN
OVERTHEpast several years there has been increasing interest in the solubihty and transport of organic acids as we have become concerned with their role in polluting our groundwater, their ability to form stable complexes with metal cations, and their potential significance in catalyzing silicate hydrolysis reactions. As a result, this volume, focusing on the behavior of organic acids in natural waters, is a welcome and timely contribution. It is particularly effective owing to the broad coverage of this topic and the attention paid in providing background information to the readers. This book contains the report of the Dahlem Konferenzen on Drganic Acids in Aquatic Ecosystems held in Berlin, May 7- 12, 1989. Owing to the nature of this conference, this report is unique in its coverage of the topic. To address this broad field, the conference was attended by scientists in a wide variety of disciplines including soil science, aquatic and environmental chemistry, organic geochemistry, microbiology, and ecology. These scientists focused their attention on four main questions: 1) What is the composition of organic acids and how are they characterized? 2) How are the acid-base properties of dissolved organic carbon measured and modeled, and how do they affect aquatic ecosystems? 3) How do organic acids interact with solutes, surfaces, and organisms? and 4) What are the temporal and spatial variations of organic acids at the ecosystem level? Each of these four questions is addressed by 3-5 review/background papers and one group report. The review papers are for the most part written at a level which can be generally understood by those who are novices in this field, and each contains generous, upto-date reference lists, so they serve as a good starting point for further inquiry. The group reports, which were written during the conference, are based on the discussions of the attendees and focus much attention on the future research needs of the particular subtopic. I was particularly impressed by the multidisciplinary approach that the collective authors used to address the four main questions. For example, the first section of the book consists of four papers reviewing the current state of the art on the characterization of organic acids, including contributions from F. H. Frimmel on analytical chemical techniques, H. G. Gassen on biochemical methods, and J. M. Hedges on bulk chemical methods (e.g., elemental and isotopic) and molecular tracers (e.g., biomarkers). These contributions are expanded on and discussed in the associated group report which highlights new developments in conventional methods as well as alternative approaches
Sediment-hosted Stratiform Copper Deposits edited by R. W. Boyle et al. GAC Special Paper 36, Geological Association of Canada, 1989, vii + 71Op., members: US $95.00, nonmembers: US $125.00 (ISBN O-919216-36-6).
COPPERDEPOSITS hosted by elastic sediments have received much attention in recent years largely, I think, because of new understandings that have emerged from the use of basin analysis techniques.
Geochemical Institute of the University of Giittingen Goldschmidtstr. I D-3400 Giittingen Germany
Department of Geology and Geophysics University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
K. Hans Wedepohl
Eric H. Oelkers
This book provides a fine resource for anyone interested in this type of ore deposit, and also provides insight into the deposition and diagenesis of sediments in rift-related basins. A common theme that emerges from the 43 papers in this collection is the dominance of rift basin processes in shaping the character of stratiform copper occurrences, a theme that is developed explicitly in a paper by Jowett. No less characteristic is an association with desert environments. Papers by Glennie and by Walker ably review deposition and diagenesis in this setting, and an overview by Kirkham provides a number
927
discussion of trace element systematics would have been useful. After all, interpretation of trace element data is critical for constraining the role of processes such as assimilation and magma mixing, as well as for inferring the characteristics of the source regions of magmas. Similarly, I would like to have seen the chapter on isotope geochemistry placed earlier and greater use of isotopic data made in the section on assimilation. However, these are minor points and reflect my own prejudices. This book is designed as an introductory text for students who have completed undergraduate coursework in physics, chemistry and calculus. It could be used both for undergraduate and beginning-level graduate courses, and would serve as a useful supplementary text for
introductory courses in other subjects (e.g., geophysics). I shah certainly adopt it for my own classes, and it deserves serious consideration by other petrology instructors. In my opinion Principles of Igneous ana’ Metamorphic Petrology is destined not only to become a standard petrology text, but to become the standard against which other books will be judged. It belongs on the shelves of all petrologists, geochemists, and geophysicists, indeed all of those interested in the solid earth.
Planetary Mapping edited by R. Greeley and R. M. Batson. Cam-
the problem of what projection to use in mapping. For experienced planetologists, one of the most interesting chapters will probably be that on Planetary Nomenclature by M. E. Strobe11 and the late H. Masursky (former President of the I.A.U. Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature). Names for topographic features have proliferated almost exponentially since 1964, when Ranger 7 returned the first high-resolution pictures of the Moon, and many researchers have only a vague idea of the etymology of features such as “Gob,” “Bianca,” and “Setibos” (left as an exercise for the reader). And two years of high school Latin four decades ago are little help with physiographic terms such as “scopulus,” “vastitas,” and “labes.” For readers of this journal, the most useful chapter will certainly be “Geologic Mapping” by D. E. Wilhelms. Far more than a “howto-do-it,” this chapter covers the logical foundations of geologic map ping in general, the origin of various lunar and planetary structures and lithologic units, and the role of sun angle in mapping. This chapter should in fact be read by all advanced geology students to increase their understanding of how any sort of geologic mapping is (or should be) done. An interesting implication of this chapter is that fundamentally sound geologic maps of the Moon-at least the near sidecould have been done in the 19th century by applying stratigraphic principles to telescopic observations. For completeness, this review should make it clear what Planetary Mapping is not. It is not an atlas and makes no pretence of presenting encyclopedic coverage of the solar system or even the Moon. (Yenne’s The Atlas of the Solar System, Bison Books, 1987, makes a good complement for this book.) There is little on geophysical or geochemical mapping, a significant omission for the Moon. There are no color plates or fold-out maps, and readers must supply their own stereoscopes for the few stereopairs presented. But Planetary Mapping is a collective tour de force of scientific publishing useful, educational, entertaining, and occasionally humorous-the astonishing “topography” revealed by Lunar Orbiter (p. 188) nicely balances the spherical harmonic expansions. Layout and typography are excellent, as we might expect from a publisher in business since 1584.
bridge University Press, 1990, xi + 296p., US $70.00 (ISBN 0-52130774-0). A RATHER matter-of-fact title has been given to this extraordinarily interesting scientific text, simultaneously (to varying degrees) a history of solar system exploration, a history of solar system astronomy, and an account of the techniques by which the Moon, the solid planets, and dozens of satellites have been mapped since space flight began. Edited by two experienced planetary mappers, the seven chapters are authored by those who have actually pioneered planetary cartography. This book was written just in time, so to speak. Some 30 years have elapsed since modem lunar and planetary mapping began, and many of the pioneers, such as Arnold Mason, Bob Hackman, and one author of this book, Hal Masursky, have died or at best retired. Delayed five more years, Planetary Mapping could have been written, but not by the first generation of space age mappers. The subject matter and organization are summarized by chapter headings: History of Planetary Cartography, Cartography, Planetary Nomenclature, Geodetic Control, Topographic Mapping, and Geologic Mapping. Three appendices cover map projections, printing processes, and digital planetary cartography. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography, chiefly to the primary literature. The treatment level varies. The chapters on Geodetic Control (M. E. Davies) and Topographic Mapping (S. S. C. Wu and F. J. Doyle) give the mathematical foundations of the respective subjects and require a solid grounding in, at the very least, trigonometry. However, most of the book is non-mathematical and should be easy reading for anyone interested in science. The historical aspects of the subject are perhaps of broadest interest. Despite 30 years of experience in lunar research, for example, this reviewer had never seen W. Gilbert’s 1600 naked eye map of the Moon-a strange-looking diagram, yet one in which Mare Imbrium, Oceanus Procellarum, and even Mare Crisium (Gilbert’s “Britannia”) can be recognized. The invention of the telescope shortly thereafter revolutionized lunar mapping, and “the first true map” of the Moon, by van Langren, is recognizably familiar. Van Langren’s nomenclature, however, is not; Armstrong and Aldrin did not land on “Mare Be&urn.” The chapter on Cartography by R. M. Batson illustrates some of the peculiarities of “planetary” mapping. Many of the small satellites and asteroids are potato-shaped-lumpy potatoes at that-presenting
Trace Elements in Coal by Dalway J. Swaine. Butterworth & Co. Publ., 1990, 278p., US $185.00 (ISBN O-408-03309-6).
THE CHEMICAL composition
of coal is related to the behavior of numerous elements which directly or indirectly participate in the life process of plants or in the decay of their remains. Decay reduces the original mass of the plants to only a few percent of the former material and changes the properties of the surrounding environment. In 1930 V. M. Goldschmidt initiated systematic investigations of trace elements in coal and coal ashes after he detected unusual accumulations of Ge in hard coal. He already suggested a commercial exploitation of this element from coal ashes. After the introduction of Ge as semi-
Departmenf of Geological Sciences The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Goddard Space Flight Center Code 922 Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Michael Barton
Paul D. Lowman Jr.
conductor material, etc., some research on trace elements in coal was actually stimulated by commercial interest. D. J. Swaine joined the Australian research institution of coal technology thirty years ago as a soil chemist. His experience is mainly based on trace element investigations predominantly of Australian coals which he compared with results from worldwide sampling. Swaine’s book summarizes the author’s 50 special publications combined with short reviews on information selected from a large set of more than 1500 references. Many readers will be interested in the mode of occurrence of trace elements in coal beds and their origin. The conformable results of several authors indicate that more than 70% of the total Ge, B, Be, Ga, Ti, and V concentrations in coal are associated with their organic fraction. The book could have benefitted
928
Book Reviews
from a critical evaluation of contradicting results on several genetic problems instead of only mentioning them. The central chapter on “Contents of trace elements in coals” contains a comprehensive list ofdata compiled from numerous references. These data (mostly ranges of concentrations in certain geographically selected sets of samples) are arranged in the alphabetical order of 4 1 individual elements. A graphical presentation of the most frequent element concentrations could have replaced or supplemented this large list making it more easily digested by the reader. In the next chapter, ranges and mean values for 3 1 trace elements in coal are compared with the respective concentrations in soil and shale. Half of these elements have comparable levels of average concentrations in coals and shales. Germanium is one of the few elements in which coals are often higher
than shales. The final chapters of the book deal with the environmental impact of coal combustion as wet and dry deposition. Such problems require reports from scientists who are neutral with regard to their professional position. I recommend this book to earth science libraries and scientists engaged in the fields of environmental or coal geochemistry because of its very useful collection of data and references.
Organic Acids in Aquatic Ecosystems edited by E. M. Perdue and
to characterizing organic acids. Unfortunately these methods are not used to interpret water samples in most current studies. This fact is illustrated in tbe last section of this volume which deals with the temporal and spatial variations of dissolved organic carbon. The four background papers in this section, which focus on a number of different environments including forested watersheds (C. S. Cronan), wetlands (H. F. Hemond), and streams and rivers (J. L. Meyer; J. R. &dell and C. N. Dahm), rely almost exclusively on measured values of total dissolved organic carbon as their data source. It is apparent that the application of new techniques leading to a more detailed understanding of the composition of the organics will provide valuable insight into these complex problems. The need to refine existing techniques and develop better methods for the characterization of dissolved organic acids is emphasized in the bulk of the other contributions to this volume. A series of papers focus on ambiguities and uncertainties in existing experimental/ sampling techniques, including the work of M. S. Shuman on errors in organic carbon acidity measurements arising from extraction techniques, that of E. M. Perdue on the sensitivity of pH measurements to uncertainties in titration data, and that of J. R. Kramer and others on the variability of organic acid composition based on sampling locality and resident time of the organics in solution. Future improved techniques will aid greatly in the understanding of the interaction of the dissolved organics on their environment, which depend critically on the solute composition. For example, as pointed out in a paper by D. A. Francko, depending on the composition of the dissolved organic acid in solution, these organic solutes can either remove or increase the amount of essential nutrients from surface waters and/or sequester toxic substances from the existing biota. Similarly, other papers by E. Tipping and G. T. Gjessing indicate that the understanding of the composition of organic acid compositions are essential to quantifying their absorption on mineral surfaces and their interaction with inorganic anions. It is clear from reading this book that we are just beginning to understand the nature of dissolved organic carbon in natural environments and this field is ripe for major advances in the near future. The multidisciplinary approach adopted in this contribution is essential for further research progress. As such, this volume provides an excellent starting point for those wishing to become actively involved in this research in the coming years.
E. T. Gjessing. J. Wiley&Sons, 0-471-92631-O).
1990, xiii + 345p., US $52.50 (ISBN
OVERTHEpast several years there has been increasing interest in the solubihty and transport of organic acids as we have become concerned with their role in polluting our groundwater, their ability to form stable complexes with metal cations, and their potential significance in catalyzing silicate hydrolysis reactions. As a result, this volume, focusing on the behavior of organic acids in natural waters, is a welcome and timely contribution. It is particularly effective owing to the broad coverage of this topic and the attention paid in providing background information to the readers. This book contains the report of the Dahlem Konferenzen on Drganic Acids in Aquatic Ecosystems held in Berlin, May 7- 12, 1989. Owing to the nature of this conference, this report is unique in its coverage of the topic. To address this broad field, the conference was attended by scientists in a wide variety of disciplines including soil science, aquatic and environmental chemistry, organic geochemistry, microbiology, and ecology. These scientists focused their attention on four main questions: 1) What is the composition of organic acids and how are they characterized? 2) How are the acid-base properties of dissolved organic carbon measured and modeled, and how do they affect aquatic ecosystems? 3) How do organic acids interact with solutes, surfaces, and organisms? and 4) What are the temporal and spatial variations of organic acids at the ecosystem level? Each of these four questions is addressed by 3-5 review/background papers and one group report. The review papers are for the most part written at a level which can be generally understood by those who are novices in this field, and each contains generous, upto-date reference lists, so they serve as a good starting point for further inquiry. The group reports, which were written during the conference, are based on the discussions of the attendees and focus much attention on the future research needs of the particular subtopic. I was particularly impressed by the multidisciplinary approach that the collective authors used to address the four main questions. For example, the first section of the book consists of four papers reviewing the current state of the art on the characterization of organic acids, including contributions from F. H. Frimmel on analytical chemical techniques, H. G. Gassen on biochemical methods, and J. M. Hedges on bulk chemical methods (e.g., elemental and isotopic) and molecular tracers (e.g., biomarkers). These contributions are expanded on and discussed in the associated group report which highlights new developments in conventional methods as well as alternative approaches
Sediment-hosted Stratiform Copper Deposits edited by R. W. Boyle et al. GAC Special Paper 36, Geological Association of Canada, 1989, vii + 71Op., members: US $95.00, nonmembers: US $125.00 (ISBN O-919216-36-6).
COPPERDEPOSITS hosted by elastic sediments have received much attention in recent years largely, I think, because of new understandings that have emerged from the use of basin analysis techniques.
Geochemical Institute of the University of Giittingen Goldschmidtstr. I D-3400 Giittingen Germany
Department of Geology and Geophysics University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
K. Hans Wedepohl
Eric H. Oelkers
This book provides a fine resource for anyone interested in this type of ore deposit, and also provides insight into the deposition and diagenesis of sediments in rift-related basins. A common theme that emerges from the 43 papers in this collection is the dominance of rift basin processes in shaping the character of stratiform copper occurrences, a theme that is developed explicitly in a paper by Jowett. No less characteristic is an association with desert environments. Papers by Glennie and by Walker ably review deposition and diagenesis in this setting, and an overview by Kirkham provides a number