ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: This Special Publication is dedicated to heritage stone: those natural stones that have special significance in human culture. Some stones that have had important uses in the past are now neglected because theyare no longer extracted. Others are still commercially important, but their heritage uses have not beenwell documented in widely available sources. The Heritage Stone Task Group of the International Unionof Geological Sciences is working to establish a new formal designation of 'Global Heritage StoneResource' to recognize those stones that have had internationally significant architectural and ornamentaluses. The aim is to spread awareness of the cultural heritage aspects of these stones, to help to encouragecontinued supply for maintenance and repair of important monuments and to preserve historically importantquarries. The aim is neither to promote nor to limit these stones for new construction: in some cases continuingcommercial use might help to ensure future supplies for building conservation purposes.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume provides a synopsis of current research on volcanic processes, as gained through the use ofpalaeomagnetic and rock magnetic techniques. Thermoremanent magnetization information provides apowerful means of deciphering thermal processes in volcanic deposits, including estimating the emplacementtemperature of pyroclastic deposits, which allows us to understand better the rates of coolingduring eruption and transport. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and anisotropy of remanence areused primarily to investigate rock fabrics and to quantify flow dynamics in dykes, lava flows, and pyroclasticdeposits, as well as identify vent locations. Rock-magnetic characteristics allow correlation of volcanicdeposits, but also provide means to date volcanic deposits and to understand better their cooling history.Because lava flows are typically good recorders of past magnetic fields, data from them allow understandingof changes in geomagnetic field directions and intensity, providing clues on the origin of Earth's magneticfield.

Description / Table of Contents: The superposition of stratified rocks is an unmistakable manifestation of the history of sedimentary processes through deep time. However, the relationship between the preserved strata of the rock record and the passage of geological time, indisputable in principle, is unknowable in detail; incompleteness is an essential property of the record. That gaps exist at all scales in sedimentary successions is easily demonstrated from consideration of sediment accumulation rates, and expectations of continuity and completeness at any scale are correspondingly inadvisable. Locating and quantifying the gaps in the record is, however, very much less straightforward. Predictive modelling of strata - essential for their practical exploitation - requires such geohistorical understanding, yet over-simplified assumptions about how time is represented in rock can still lead to inadequate or even false conclusions. The contributions to this volume describe a range of practical studies, theoretical investigations, and numerical experiments in which the nature of the strata-time relationship is explored. Content: Strata and time: probing the gaps in our understanding -- Updating uniformitarianism: stratigraphy as just a set of 'frozen accidents' -- GSSPs, global stratigraphy and correlation -- Scaling laws for aggradation, denudation and progradation rates: the case for time-scale invariance at sediment sources and sinks -- The power-law attributes of stratigraphic layering and their possible significance -- The importance of doing nothing: stasis in sedimentation systems and its stratigraphic effects -- Investigating the occurrence of hierarchies of cyclicity in platform carbonates -- Cyclostratigraphy: data filtering as a source of spurious spectral peaks -- Stratigraphic continuity and fragmentary sedimentation: the success of cyclostratigraphy as part of integrated stratigraphy -- Synthesis of time-stratigraphic relationships and their impact on hydrocarbon reservoir distribution and performance, Bridport Sand Formation, Wessex Basin, UK -- 4D Wheeler diagrams: concept and applications -- Using the voids to fill tthe gaps: caves, time, and stratigraphy -- More gaps than shale: erosion of mud and its effect on preserved geochemical and palaeobiological signals -- More gap than record? Qualitative and quantitative assessment of stratigraphic gaps in a field based study, with examples from the Lower Silurian Pentamerus Beds of Shropshire, England and the Lower Ordovician Ribband Gp of County Wexford, Ireland -- British Pennsylvanian (Carboniferous) coal-bearing sequences: where is the time? -- Use of carbon accumulation rates to estimate the duration of coal seams and the influence of atmospheric dust deposition on coal composition.

Description / Table of Contents: The subduction zone volatile cycle is key to understanding the petrogenesis, transport, storage and eruption of arc magmas. Volatiles control the flux of slab components into the mantle wedge, are responsible for melt generation through lowering the solidi of mantle materials and influence the crystallizing phase assemblages in the overriding crust. Further, the rates and extents of degassing during magma storage and decompression affect magma rheology, ultimately control eruption style and have consequences for the environmental impact of explosive arc volcanism. This book highlights recent progress in constraining the role of volatiles in magmatic processes. Individual book sections are devoted to tracing volatiles from the subducting slab to the overriding crust, their role in subvolcanic processes and eruption triggering, as well as magmatic-hydrothermal systems and volcanic degassing. For the first time, all aspects of the overarching theme of volatile cycling are covered in detail within a single volume.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume highlights key challenges for fluid-flow prediction in carbonate reservoirs, the approaches currently employed to address these challenges and developments in fundamental science and technology. The papers span methods and case studies that highlight workflows and emerging technologies in the fields of geology, geophysics, petrophysics, reservoir modelling and computer science. Topics include: detailed pore-scale studies that explore fundamental processes and applications of imaging and flow modelling at the pore scale; case studies of diagenetic processes with complementary perspectives from reactive transport modelling; novel methods for rock typing; petrophysical studies that investigate the impact of diagenesis and fault-rock properties on acoustic signatures; mechanical modelling and seismic imaging of faults in carbonate rocks; modelling geological influences on seismic anisotropy; novel approaches to geological modelling; methods to represent key geological details in reservoir simulations and advances in computer visualization, analytics and interactions for geoscience and engineering.

Description / Table of Contents: Geomaterials derived from the Earth's crust and used in construction after appropriate processing are among the earliest raw materials exploited, processed and used by humans. Their numerous functional properties include accessibility, workability and serviceability, and these are explored within this volume. In modern society, sustainable use of raw materials, specifically those exploited in large volumes such as geomaterials for construction, raises questions of reducing extraction of primary resources and thus minimizing impacts on natural systems, and also employment of materials and technologies to lower emissions of deleterious substances into the atmosphere. This will be possible only if we fully understand the properties, processing and mode of use of traditional geomaterials. Although most of the papers within this volume were written by geologists, the contributions will also be of interest to those working in cultural heritage, monument conservation, civil engineering and architecture.

Description / Table of Contents: This Special Publication will be an important tool for geoscientists, aimed at increasing the awareness of their societal role and responsibility in conducting education, research and practice activities.What are the responsibilities of a geoscientist ? And what motivations are needed to push geoscientists to practice the Earth sciences in an ethical way?The major environmental challenges affecting human communities require not only a strictly scientific and technical preparation by the geoscientists, but also a reflection on their broader obligations towards society. It is important that geoscientists consider geoethics as an indispensable framework on which to base their training and activity. The principles of geoethics can guide them to pursue the common good by weighing the benefits and costs of each choice, and identifying eco-friendly and society-friendly solutions that guarantee the respect of the right balance between human life and the dynamics of the Earth.Communication and dissemination of geosciences should become core activities in building a knowledge-based society, which is able better to protect itself and the Earth ecosystems in order to guarantee a life in harmony with our planet for future generations.

Description / Table of Contents: This Special Publication is dedicated to heritage stone: those natural stones that have special significance in human culture. Some stones that have had important uses in the past are now neglected because theyare no longer extracted. Others are still commercially important, but their heritage uses have not beenwell documented in widely available sources. The Heritage Stone Task Group of the International Unionof Geological Sciences is working to establish a new formal designation of 'Global Heritage StoneResource' to recognize those stones that have had internationally significant architectural and ornamentaluses. The aim is to spread awareness of the cultural heritage aspects of these stones, to help to encouragecontinued supply for maintenance and repair of important monuments and to preserve historically importantquarries. The aim is neither to promote nor to limit these stones for new construction: in some cases continuingcommercial use might help to ensure future supplies for building conservation purposes.

Description / Table of Contents: The practical application of structural geology in industry is varied and diverse; it is relevant at all scales, from plate-wide screening of new exploration areas down to fluid-flow behaviour along individual fractures. From an industry perspective, good structural practice is essential since it feeds into the quantification and recovery of reserves and ultimately underpins commercial investment choices. Many of the fundamental structural principles and techniques used by industry can be traced back to the academic community, and this volume aims to provide insights into how structural theory translates into industry practice. Papers in this publication describe case studies and workflows that demonstrate applied structural geology, covering a spread of topics including trap definition, fault seal, fold-and-thrust belts, fractured reservoirs, fluid flow and geomechanics. Against a background of evolving ideas, new data types and advancing computational tools, the volume highlights the need for structural geologists to constantly re-evaluate the role they play in solving industrial challenges.

Description / Table of Contents: Ore deposits form by a variety of natural processes that concentrate elements into a volume that can be economically mined. Their type, character and abundance reflect the environment in which they formed and thus they preserve key evidence for the evolution of magmatic and tectonic processes, the state of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, and the evolution of life over geological time. This volume presents 13 papers on topical subjects in ore deposit research viewed in the context of Earth evolution. These diverse, yet interlinked, papers cover topics including: controls on the temporal and spatial distribution of ore deposits; the sources of fluid, gold and other components of orogenic gold deposits; the degree of oxygenation in the Neoproterozoic ocean; bacterial immobilization of gold in the semi-arid near-surface environment; and mineral resources for the future, including issues of resource estimation, sustainability of supply and the criticality of certain elements to society.

Description / Table of Contents: Volcanism and tectonism are the dominant endogenic means by which planetary surfaces change. This book aims to encompass the broad range in character of volcanism, tectonism, faulting and associated interactions observed on planetary bodies across the inner solar system - a region that includes Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars and asteroids. The diversity and breadth of landforms produced by volcanic and tectonic processes is enormous, and varies across the inner solar system bodies. As a result, the selection of prevailing landforms and their underlying formational processes that are described and highlighted in this volume are but a primer to the expansive field of planetary volcanism and tectonism. This Special Publication features 22 research articles about volcanic and tectonic processes manifest across the inner solar system.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume provides a synopsis of current research on volcanic processes, as gained through the use of palaeomagnetic and rock magnetic techniques. Thermoremanent magnetization information provides a powerful means of deciphering thermal processes in volcanic deposits, including estimating the emplacement temperature of pyroclastic deposits, which allows us to understand better the rates of cooling during eruption and transport. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and anisotropy of remanence are used primarily to investigate rock fabrics and to quantify flow dynamics in dykes, lava flows, and pyroclastic deposits, as well as identify vent locations. Rock-magnetic characteristics allow correlation of volcanic deposits, but also provide means to date volcanic deposits and to understand better their cooling history. Because lava flows are typically good recorders of past magnetic fields, data from them allow understanding of changes in geomagnetic field directions and intensity, providing clues on the origin of Earth's magnetic field.

Description / Table of Contents: Discovery of the Arbroath, Montrose and Forties fields initiated intensive exploration of the Tertiary deep-marine play in the North Sea region. Subsequent discoveries demonstrated the success of this play and the geological diversity of the depositional systems. The play is now mature and in many areas the remaining exploration potential is likely to be dominated by small, subtle traps with a major component of stratigraphic trapping. Economically marginal discoveries need an in-depth understanding of subsurface uncertainty to mitigate risk with limited appraisal wells. Mature fields require detailed geological understanding in the search for the remaining oil. This volume focuses on the regional depositional setting of these deep-marine systems, providing a stratigraphic and palaeogeographical context for exploration, and development case histories that outline the challenges of producing from these reservoirs. The fields are arranged around the production life cycle, describing the changing needs of geological models as the flow of static and dynamic data refines geological understanding and defines the nature of new opportunities as fields mature.

Description / Table of Contents: The superposition of stratified rocks is an unmistakable manifestation of the history of sedimentary processes through deep time. However, the relationship between the preserved strata of the rock record and the passage of geological time, indisputable in principle, is unknowable in detail; incompleteness is an essential property of the record. That gaps exist at all scales in sedimentary successions is easily demonstrated from consideration of sediment accumulation rates, and expectations of continuity and completeness at any scale are correspondingly inadvisable. Locating and quantifying the gaps in the record is, however, very much less straightforward. Predictive modelling of strata – essential for their practical exploitation – requires such geohistorical understanding, yet over-simplified assumptions about how time is represented in rock can still lead to inadequate or even false conclusions. The contributions to this volume describe a range of practical studies, theoretical investigations, and numerical experiments in which the nature of the strata–time relationship is explored.

Description / Table of Contents: Ernie Rutter has made, and continues to make, a significant impact in the field of rock deformation. He has studied brittle and plastic deformation processes that occur within both the oceanic and continental crust, as well as other key properties such as the permeability and seismic velocities of these rocks. His approach has been one that integrates field observations, laboratory experiments and theoretical analyses. This volume celebrates Ernie's key contribution to rock deformation and structural geology by bringing together a collection of papers that represent this broad approach. The papers within the volume address key issues that remain within these fields. These range from fundamental studies of brittle and plastic behaviour along with the resultant structures and microstructures from both the field and laboratory, to applied problems where a better understanding of the deformation and properties of the crust is still needed.

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction / D. Pereira, B. R. Marker, S. Kramar, B. Cooper and B. Schouenborg / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 1-4, 23 February 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.18 --- Procedures and criteria for the definition of Global Heritage Stone Resources / Brian R. Marker / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 5-10, 10 June 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.3 --- The ‘Global Heritage Stone Resource’ designation: past, present and future / Barry J. Cooper / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 11-20, 21 May 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.5 --- Global stone heritage: Larvikite, Norway / Tom Heldal, G. B. Meyer and R. Dahl / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 21-34, 27 November 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.14 --- The Hallandia gneiss, a Swedish heritage stone resource / B. Schouenborg, J. Andersson, M. Göransson and Inger Lundqvist / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 35-48, 4 November 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.17 --- The Kolmården serpentine marble in Sweden: a stone found both in castles and people's homes / Anders Wikström and Dolores Pereira / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 49-56, 28 January 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.22 --- Global Heritage Stone: Estremoz Marbles, Portugal / Luís Lopes and Ruben Martins / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 57-74, 15 August 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.10 --- Contribution of Portuguese two-mica granites to stone built heritage: the historical value of Oporto granite / Angela Almeida and Arlindo Begonha / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 75-91, 27 November 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.16 --- Piedra Pajarilla: a candidacy as a global heritage stone resource for Martinamor granite / Dolores Pereira, Ana Gimeno and Santiago Del Barrio / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 93-100, 21 May 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.6 --- The Sierra Nevada serpentinites: the serpentinites most used in Spanish heritage buildings / Rafael Navarro, Dolores Pereira, Carlos Rodríguez-Navarro and Eduardo Sebastián-Pardo / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 101-108, 10 June 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.7 --- Villamayor Stone (Golden Stone) as a Global Heritage Stone Resource from Salamanca (NW of Spain) / J. Garcia-Talegón, A. C. Iñigo, G. Alonso-Gavilán and S. Vicente-Tavera / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 109-120, 27 November 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.19 --- Colmenar Limestone, Madrid, Spain: considerations for its nomination as a Global Heritage Stone Resource due to its long term durability / R. Fort, M. J. Varas-Muriel, M. Alvarez de Buergo and E. M. Perez-Monserrat / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 121-135, 3 September 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.8 --- Carrara Marble: a nomination for ‘Global Heritage Stone Resource’ from Italy / P. Primavori / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 137-154, 23 February 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.21 --- Rosa Beta granite (Sardinian Pink Granite): a heritage stone of international significance from Italy / N. Careddu and S. Grillo / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 155-172, 21 May 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.1 --- Pietra Serena: the stone of the Renaissance / F. Fratini, E. Pecchioni, E. Cantisani, S. Rescic and S. Vettori / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 173-186, 3 September 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.11 --- Ornamental stones of the Verbano Cusio Ossola quarry district: characterization of materials, quarrying techniques and history and relevance to local and national heritage / Giovanna A. Dino and Alessandro Cavallo / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 187-200, 15 October 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.15 --- Stone materials used for monumental buildings in the historical centre of Turin (NW Italy): architectonical survey and petrographic characterization of Via Roma / Alessandro Borghi, Valentina Berra, Anna d'Atri, Giovanna A. Dino, Lorenzo M. Gallo, Elena Giacobino, Luca Martire, Gianluca Massaro, Gloria Vaggelli, Carlo Bertok, Daniele Castelli, Emanuele Costa, Simona Ferrando, Chiara Groppo and Franco Rolfo / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 201-218, 27 November 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.20 --- Podpeč limestone: a heritage stone from Slovenia / S. Kramar, M. Bedjanič, B. Mirtič, A. Mladenović, B. Rožič, D. Skaberne, M. Gutman, N. Zupančič and B. Cooper / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 219-231, 10 June 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.2 --- Stone heritage in Southeast Slovenia / M. Golež and B. Mirtič / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 233-242, 27 August 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.12 --- Ornamental stone in the history of St Petersburg architecture / A. G. Bulakh / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 243-252, 10 June 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.4 --- Natural stone in the built heritage of the interior of Brazil: the use of stone in Minas Gerais / A. G. Costa / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 253-261, 22 July 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.13 --- ‘Piedra Mar del Plata’: An Argentine orthoquartzite worthy of being considered as a ‘Global Heritage Stone Resource’ / F. Cravero, M. B. Ponce, M. R. Gozalvez and S. A. Marfil / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 407, 263-268, 8 July 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP407.9

Description / Table of Contents: The Himalayan mountain belt, which developed during the India–Asia collision starting about 55 Ma ago, is a dramatically active orogen and it is regarded as the classic collisional orogen. It is characterized by an impressively continuous 2500 km of tectonic units, thrusts and normal faults, as well as large volumes of high-grade metamorphic rocks and granites exposed at the surface. This constitutes an invaluable field laboratory, where amazing crustal sections can be observed directly in very deep gorges. It is possible to unravel the tectonic and metamorphic evolution of litho-units, to observe the mechanisms of exhumation of deep-seated rocks and the propagation of the deformation. Himalayan tectonics has been the target of many studies from numerous international researchers over the years. In the last 15 years there has been an explosion of data and theories from both geological and geophysical perspectives. This book presents the results of integrated multidisciplinary studies, including geology, petrology, magmatism, geochemistry, geochronology and geophysics, of the structures and processes affecting the continental lithosphere. These processes and their spatial and temporal evolution have major consequences on the geometry and kinematics of the India–Eurasia collision zone.

Description / Table of Contents: Continental margins and their fossilized analogues are important repositories of natural resources. With better processing techniques and increased availability of high-resolution seismic and potential field data, imaging of present-day continental margins and their embedded sedimentary basins has reached unprecedented levels of refinement and definition, as illustrated by examples described in this volume. This, in turn, has led to greatly improved geological, geodynamic and numerical models for the crustal and mantle processes involved in continental margin formation from the initial stages of rifting through continental rupture and break-up to development of a new ocean basin. Further informing these models, and contributing to a better understanding of the features imaged in the seismic and potential field data, are observations made on fossilized fragments of exhumed subcontinental mantle lithosphere and ocean–continent transition zones preserved in ophiolites and orogenic belts of both Palaeozoic and Mesozoic age from several different continents, including Europe, South Asia and Australasia.

Description / Table of Contents: The continental crust is our archive of Earth history, and the store of many natural resources; however, many key questions about its formation and evolution remain debated and unresolved: - What processes are involved in the formation, differentiation and evolution of continental crust, and how have these changed throughout Earth history? - How are plate tectonics, the supercontinent cycle and mantle cooling linked with crustal evolution? - What are the rates of generation and destruction of the continental crust through time? - How representative is the preserved geological record? A range of approaches are used to address these questions, including field-based studies, petrology and geochemistry, geophysical methods, palaeomagnetism, whole-rock and accessory-phase isotope chemistry and geochronology. Case studies range from the Eoarchaean to Phanerozoic, and cover many different cratons and orogenic belts from across the continents.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume highlights key challenges for fluid-flow prediction in carbonate reservoirs, the approaches currently employed to address these challenges and developments in fundamental science and technology. The papers span methods and case studies that highlight workflows and emerging technologies in the fields of geology, geophysics, petrophysics, reservoir modelling and computer science. Topics include: detailed pore-scale studies that explore fundamental processes and applications of imaging and flow modelling at the pore scale; case studies of diagenetic processes with complementary perspectives from reactive transport modelling; novel methods for rock typing; petrophysical studies that investigate the impact of diagenesis and fault-rock properties on acoustic signatures; mechanical modelling and seismic imaging of faults in carbonate rocks; modelling geological influences on seismic anisotropy; novel approaches to geological modelling; methods to represent key geological details in reservoir simulations and advances in computer visualization, analytics and interactions for geoscience and engineering.

Description / Table of Contents: This Special Publication arises from the UNESCO-sponsored IGCP 586-Y project ‘The tectonics and geomorphology of the Andes (32°–34°S): interplay between short-term and long-term processes’. It includes state-of-the-art reviews and original articles from a multidisciplinary perspective that investigate the complex interactions of tectonics and surface processes in the subduction-related orogen of the Andes of central Chile and Argentina (c. 27°–39°S). It aims to improve our understanding of tectonic and landscape evolution of the Andean range at different time scales, as well as the mutual relationship between internal and external mechanisms in Cenozoic deformation, mountain building, topographic evolution, basin development and mega-landslides occurrence across the flat slab to normal subduction segments. The geodynamic processes of the Andes of central Chile and Argentina are analysed from a number of subdisciplines of the Earth sciences, including tectonics, petrology, geophysics, geochemistry, structural geology, geomorphology, engineering geology, stratigraphy and sedimentology.

Description / Table of Contents: The subduction zone volatile cycle is key to understanding the petrogenesis, transport, storage and eruption of arc magmas. Volatiles control the flux of slab components into the mantle wedge, are responsible for melt generation through lowering the solidi of mantle materials and influence the crystallizing phase assemblages in the overriding crust. Further, the rates and extents of degassing during magma storage and decompression affect magma rheology, ultimately control eruption style and have consequences for the environmental impact of explosive arc volcanism. This book highlights recent progress in constraining the role of volatiles in magmatic processes. Individual book sections are devoted to tracing volatiles from the subducting slab to the overriding crust, their role in subvolcanic processes and eruption triggering, as well as magmatic-hydrothermal systems and volcanic degassing. For the first time, all aspects of the overarching theme of volatile cycling are covered in detail within a single volume.

Description / Table of Contents: Magnetic susceptibility (MS) is a tool frequently used by geologists on sediments or rocks to perform correlations and sea-level or climatic reconstructions. Applied measurements are made on unoriented, bulk samples and bulk MS is mostly influenced by the magnetic mineral content of the rock and often interpreted as influenced by detrital inputs. Magnetic data acquisition is fast and straightforward and this allows the high-resolution sampling needed for palaeoclimatic research (e.g. spectral analysis). However, the link with detrital inputs is not always preserved and the impact of diagenesis on the final MS signal can blur primary information. This volume includes contributions dealing with the origin of the magnetic minerals, and the application of MS as a palaeoenvironmental or palaeoclimatic proxy and also as a tool to provide astronomical calibration in order to improve the chronology of selected time intervals.

Description / Table of Contents: Our understanding of the physical and chemical processes that regulate the evolution of magmatic systems has improved tremendously since the foundations were laid down 100 years ago by Bowen. The concept of crustal magma chambers has progressively evolved from molten-rock vats to thermally, chemically and physically heterogeneous reservoirs that are kept active by the periodic injection of magma. This new model, while more complex, provides a better framework to interpret volcanic activity and decipher the information contained in intrusive and extrusive rocks. Igneous/metamorphic petrology, geochemistry, geochronology and numerical modelling all contributed towards this new picture of crustal magmatic systems. This book provides an overview of the wide range of approaches that can nowadays be used to understand the chemical, physical and temporal evolution of magmatic and volcanic systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Understanding the behaviour of gases in the context of radioactive waste disposal is a fundamental requirement in developing a safety case for the disposal of radioactive waste. Of particular importance are the long-term performance of bentonite buffers and cement-based backfill materials that may be used to encapsulate and surround the waste in a repository, and the behaviour of plastic clays, indurated mudrocks and crystalline formations that may be the host rocks for a repository. The EC Euratom programme funded project, FORGE, has provided new insights into the processes and mechanisms governing gas generation and migration with the aim of reducing uncertainty. This volume brings together papers on aspects of this topic arising from both the FORGE project and work undertaken elsewhere. This has been achieved by the acquisition of new experimental data coupled with modelling, through a series of laboratory and field-scale experiments performed at a number of underground research laboratories throughout Europe.

Description / Table of Contents: Microbial carbonates (microbialites) are remarkable sedimentary deposits. They have the longest geological range of any type of biogenic limestones, form in the greatest range of different sedimentary environments, oxygenated the Earth's atmosphere and produce and, furthermore, store large volumes of hydrocarbons. This Special Publication provides significant contributions at a pivotal time in our understanding of microbial carbonates when their economic importance has become established and the results of many research programmes are coming to fruition. It is the first book to focus on the economic aspects of microbialites and in particular the giant pre-salt discoveries offshore Brazil. The volume contains papers on the processes involved in the formation of both ancient and modern microbialites and the diversity of style in microbial carbonate build-ups. Structures and fabrics from both marine and non-marine settings are discussed from throughout the geological record.

Description / Table of Contents: This Special Publication will be an important tool for geoscientists, aimed at increasing the awareness of their societal role and responsibility in conducting education, research and practice activities. What are the responsibilities of a geoscientist ? And what motivations are needed to push geoscientists to practice the Earth sciences in an ethical way? The major environmental challenges affecting human communities require not only a strictly scientific and technical preparation by the geoscientists, but also a reflection on their broader obligations towards society. It is important that geoscientists consider geoethics as an indispensable framework on which to base their training and activity. The principles of geoethics can guide them to pursue the common good by weighing the benefits and costs of each choice, and identifying eco-friendly and society-friendly solutions that guarantee the respect of the right balance between human life and the dynamics of the Earth. Communication and dissemination of geosciences should become core activities in building a knowledge-based society, which is able better to protect itself and the Earth ecosystems in order to guarantee a life in harmony with our planet for future generations.

Description / Table of Contents: Deep subsurface microbiology is a highly active and rapidly advancing research field at the interface of microbiology and the geosciences; it focuses on the detection, identification, quantification, cultivation and activity measurements of bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes that permeate the subsurface biosphere of deep marine sediments and the basaltic ocean and continental crust. The deep subsurface biosphere abounds with uncultured, only recently discovered and – at best - incompletely understood microbial populations. In spatial extent and volume, Earth’s subsurface biosphere is only rivaled by the deep sea water column. So far, no deep subsurface sediment has been found that is entirely devoid of microbial life; microbial cells and DNA remain detectable at sediment depths of more than 1 km; microbial life permeates deeply buried hydrocarbon reservoirs, and is also found several kilometers down in continental crust aquifers. Severe energy limitation, either as electron acceptor or donor shortage, and scarcity of microbially degradable organic carbon sources are among the evolutionary pressures that have shaped the genomic and physiological repertoire of the deep subsurface biosphere. Its biogeochemical role as long-term organic carbon repository, inorganic electron and energy source, and subduction recycling engine continues to be explored by current research at the interface of microbiology, geochemistry and biosphere/geosphere evolution. This Research Topic addresses some of the central research questions about deep subsurface microbiology and biogeochemistry: phylogenetic and physiological microbial diversity in the deep subsurface; microbial activity and survival strategies in severely energy-limited subsurface habitats; microbial activity as reflected in process rates and gene expression patterns; biogeographic isolation and connectivity in deep subsurface microbial communities; the ecological standing of subsurface biospheres in comparison to the surface biosphere – an independently flourishing biosphere, or mere survivors that tolerate burial (along with organic carbon compounds), or a combination of both? Advancing these questions on Earth’s deep subsurface biosphere redefines the habitat range, environmental tolerance, activity and diversity of microbial life.

Description / Table of Contents: Classifications of circulation weather systems have a long history in meteorology and climatology. Starting with manual classifications over specific regions of the globe, these tools (generally called “catalogs of synoptic types”) were restricted mainly to weather forecasting and historical climate variability studies. In the last decades, the advance of computing resources and the availability of datasets have fostered the development of fast and objective methods that process large amount of data. In recent years numerous methods of circulation type classification have been designed, showing their usefulness on a wide range of applications in scientific domains related to weather, climate, and environment. This Research Topic highlights methodological advances in circulation weather types and also their applications to different research areas. The articles included in this research topic show that circulation weather types can be used not only in Europe, where they have been always more frequent, but also applied to other regions of the world.

Description / Table of Contents: In the last three decades, research has extensively focused on the role of Fe and other mineral nutrients in regulating biological processes, ranging from the surface to the deep ocean. This has produced major breakthroughs in our understanding of the fundamental role of those bioactive elements on the carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycles and ecosystem function. However, biological processes cannot be entirely sustained by that small set of chemical elements, and new scientific evidence suggests that trace metals other than Fe (e.g., Co, Mo and Ni) as well as essential organic growth factors (e.g., vitamins) may also be crucial in most aquatic systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Hydrothermally influenced microbial habitats and communities represent a much wider spectrum of geological setting, chemical in-situ regimes, and biotic community than the classical examples from basalt-hosted black smoker chimneys at active mid-ocean spreading centers. Hydrothermal vent ecosystems now include hydrothermally heated and chemically altered sediments, microbiota fueled by serpentinization reactions, and low-temperature vents with unusual menus of electron donors. Novel marine provinces and hydrothermal areas are being charted and explored, such as new hydrothermal vent systems in the Arctic, around Antarctica, in the Western Pacific and in the Indian Ocean. Novel environmental gradients and niches provide habitats for unusual or unprecedented microorganisms and microbial ecosystems. The discovery of novel extremophiles such as Aciduliprofundum and the Nanoarchaeota underscores that hydrothermal vent microbial communities can no longer be characterized as assemblages of only “typical” sulfur oxidizers, methanogens and heterotrophs. Different stages of hydrothermal activity, from early onset to peak activity, gradual decline, and persistence of cold and fossil vent sites, correspond to different colonization waves by microorganisms as well as megafauna. This research topic will continue to stretch the limits of hydrothermal vent microbiology, and also provide a forum for the chemical and microbial linkages of hydrothermal vents to the ocean water column and the ocean crust or sedimentary subsurface.

Description / Table of Contents: Nitrogen is an essential element in biological systems, and one that often limits production in both aquatic and terrestrial systems. Due to its requirement in biological macromolecules, its acquisition and cycling have the potential to structure microbial communities, as well as to control productivity on the ecosystem scale. In addition, its versatile redox chemistry is the basis of complex biogeochemical transformations that control the inventory of fixed nitrogen, both in local environments and over geological time. Although many of the pathways in the microbial nitrogen cycle were described more than a century ago, additional fundamental pathways have been discovered only recently. These findings imply that we still have much to learn about the microbial nitrogen cycle, the organisms responsible for it, and their interactions in natural and human environments. Progress in nitrogen cycle research has been facilitated by recent rapid technological advances, especially in genomics and isotopic approaches. In this Research Topic, we reviewed the leading edge of nitrogen cycle research based on these approaches, as well as by exploring microbial processes in modern ecosystems.

Description / Table of Contents: Viruses infect numerous microorganisms including, predominantly, Bacteria (bacteriophages or phages) but also Archaea, Protists, and Fungi. They are the most abundant and ubiquitous biological entities on Earth and are important drivers of ecosystem functioning. Little is known, however, about the vast majority of these viruses of microorganisms, or VoMs. Modern techniques such as metagenomics have enabled the discovery and description of more presumptive VoMs than ever before, but also have exposed gaps in our understanding of VoM ecology. Exploring the ecology of these viruses – which is how they interact with host organisms, the abiotic environment, larger organisms, and even other viruses across a variety of environments and conditions – is the next frontier. Integration of a growing molecular understanding of VoMs with ecological studies will expand our knowledge of ecosystem dynamics. Ecology can be studied at multiple levels including individual organisms, populations, communities, whole ecosystems, and the entire biosphere. Ecology additionally can consider normal, equilibrium conditions or instead perturbations. Perturbations are of particular interest because measuring the effect of disturbances on VoM-associated communities provides important windows into how VoMs contribute to ecosystem dynamics. These disturbances in turn can be studied through in vitro, in vivo, and in situ experimentation, measuring responses by VoM-associated communities to changes in nutrient availability, stress, physical disruption, seasonality, etc., and could apply to studies at all ecological levels. These are considered here across diverse systems and environments.

Description / Table of Contents: The practical application of structural geology in industry is varied and diverse; it is relevant at all scales, from plate-wide screening of new exploration areas down to fluid-flow behaviour along individual fractures. From an industry perspective, good structural practice is essential since it feeds into the quantification and recovery of reserves and ultimately underpins commercial investment choices. Many of the fundamental structural principles and techniques used by industry can be traced back to the academic community, and this volume aims to provide insights into how structural theory translates into industry practice. Papers in this publication describe case studies and workflows that demonstrate applied structural geology, covering a spread of topics including trap definition, fault seal, fold-and-thrust belts, fractured reservoirs, fluid flow and geomechanics. Against a background of evolving ideas, new data types and advancing computational tools, the volume highlights the need for structural geologists to constantly re-evaluate the role they play in solving industrial challenges.