ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE Turbidity currents have been comprehensively studied in the past although much remains unknown about both their flow characteristics and resultant sedimentary deposits. Much of this uncertainty arises from the catastrophic nature of their formation which makes them difficult to study in the environment, and has resulted in the majority of studies being experimental or theoretical. Experiments have shown that reversals in the flow of density currents can be associated with the generation of internal solitary waves. This is in contrast to the belief held by many workers that the reversal of a turbidity current simply generates an identical flow travelling in the opposite direction. This book arose from the need for a detailed experimental study to examine the effects and to consider the consequences of density current reversals from a variety of obstructions to their flow. The first part of this book comprises a detailed review of literature covering the fluid dynamics and sedimentology relevant to the experimental study (chapter one). Chapter two presents the results from the comprehensive experimental programme which are discussed and compared with appropiate theoretical hypotheses. This permits the synthesis of a model for the general features of flows that result from the incidence of density currents upon obstructions to the flow. The application of this model to both modern and ancient turbidite systems is then discussed in chapter three. This book is suitable for earth scientists with an interest in the dynamics of turbidity currents. In addition, workers from other fields such as applied maths, meteorology and engineering who have an interest in density currents and bores in practical situations may find it useful...

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE The application of thermal analysis to earth science has a long history. This is evidenced by the extensive coverages by Mackenzie (1957, 1970), Langier-Kuzniarowa (1967), Schultze (1971), Liptay (t973), Smykatz- Kloss (1974), Todor (1976) and Heide (1982). The chief thermal method has been differential thermal analysis (DTA). Additionally, thermogravimetry (TG; Duval, 1963; Keattch, 1969; Earnest, 1988) and thermodilatometry (Schomburg & Strörr, 1984) have gained some importance. All these methods are still widely ltsed. But recently several new techniques have gained attention, such as thermomagnetometry, thermomechanical analysis and thermosonimetry. Improved equipment made possible the application of thermal methods to problems in thermodynamics and kinetics (e.g. by means of differential scanning calorimetry, DSC). This progress in the construction of new instruments as well as the combination of existing methods to enable simultaneous determinations (e.g. TG/DTA; TG/IR spectroscopy; DTA/mass spectrometry; DTA/microscopy; high-pressure DTA) have led to a resurgence in the use and application of thermal analysis in the earth sciences. Here the applications cover such diverse areas as the examination of individual minerals, mineral mixtures, rocks, soils, ceramics, cements, raw materials as well as their industrial evaluation, performance assessment and quality control. In the field of solid fossil fuels thermal determinations range from proximate analysis of inorganic constituents and the measurement of calorific values to the assessment of the environmental aspects of fly ashes and mineral residues. To support this tendency, the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis (ICTA) has recently founded a "Committee for Thermal Analysis in Geosciences". The aim of this committee shall be to discuss, improve and distribute the knowledge about the possibilities of solving geoscientific questions by means of thermal analytic methods...

Description / Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION The study is essentially empirical, since it portrays and appraises two different water management systems, and relates them to one another. Yet the analysis has also been made with definite research aims in mind. Its focus has been narrowed down to the environmental assessment of urban water management systems in arid and semi-arid regions, especially with an eye to deal with information problems in the Developing World. The study addresses a set of very critical issues of global concern, and, thus, delineates a crucial topic for international research. The fact that a wide range of critical issues usually complicates and aggravates the given problem setting provides the comparative analysis with a special practical incentive to explore the opportunities for joint strategies and comprehensive solutions. However, the complexities involved between water management and the environment and the relative lack of a joint theory in that field pose certain difficulties to such an undertaking. In order to fully appreciate the underlying purpose of the study and the scope of its implications, the various facets of the problem setting and the essential ingredients of the general line of approach have first to be unravelled and expounded at some length. Above all, it needs to be shown how these facets combine to produce the complex, burning issues which in turn seem to, both in theory and practice, require correspondingly intricate, strategic approaches for their solutions...

Description / Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION "The geological history, as expressed by the stratigraphic column, is basically composed of cycles of sedimentation, stratification and magmatism which correlate with relative changes in sea level determined in turn by different types of crustal movements. The classical sequence of stages "transgression - inundation - differentiation - regression - emergence" is believed to reflect the deformation phases of a geotectonic cycle" (Wezel,1988: p.37). The concept of geotectonic cycle is fundamental in geology because it links tectonics with sedimentary processes. According to Wezel (1988) the geotectonic cycle is an expression of cyclic variations in the behavior of the crust; more precisely,it is a geodynamic response to the Earth's variations in the rate of rotation (Mörner,19869 Whyte,1977~ Carey,1976).Based on a global analysis of geotectonic data, synchronous episodes of intense global swelling, governed by cyclically ordered diastrophic processes, were identified (Wezel,1985;1988). The process leading to these swells was termed krikogenesis (Wezel, 1988).It basically consists of not steady, localized, migratory vertical movements linked to mantle diapirism and concentrated in single zones.The overlying crust adjusts itself to mantle motions induced by krikogenesis, with the formation of transient troughs and swells ('touche-de-piano' tectonics).This mechanism was individuated in several areas (Wezel,1988). The history of the Earth is described by six episodes that repeat in the same way in the course of geological time.Their duration progressively decreases:the first cycle has a duration of about 200 million years, the following,younger cycles lasted 150, 115, 65, A5 and 20 m.y. ...

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE Some of the major ecological and social problems of the present and future are the production, treatment, and disposal of anthropogenic wastes. Iaais is equally true for sparsely and densely populated industrial areas, including large countries in which sites for waste disposal would seem to be readily available. Especially nonradioactive hazardous wastes with their long-term toxicity need to be isolated from the biosphere just as effectively as radioactive substances. The long-term safety required of waste disposal sites can only be assured under specific geological and mineralogical conditions in certain parts of the lithosphere (underground repositories). The subjects related to the production, avoidance, treatment, and disposal of anthropogenic wastes cover a range of knowledge encompassing the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, and law. This work presents some fundamental situations and problems conceming the disposal of toxic hazardous wastes which have been dealt with in several research projects. The individual chapters are related scientifically. Long-term, effective solutions to our waste problems can only be found when interrelationships and possible future developments are considered. Only the current status of this rapidly developing field can be discussed here. The individual chapters contain scientifically founded data and observations. Other aspects for which there are still controversial opinions and arguments are also discussed, which should stimulate further thought. Further developments and scientific advances can only be achieved by constantly challenging previous theories, and not through static observation and narrow-mindedness. The most extensive quantification possible of the problems related to disposal of hazardous wastes is an essential aim of our work. This not only involves calculating the volume of waste and available repository space, but also compiling data on the long-term effects and the safe, long-term isolation of anthropogenic wastes from the biosphere. A simple description of conditions and processes without using concrete data, which is still widespread, is rejected since it frequently leads to pure speculation. The scientific fundamentals and results presented in this work are of general validity for many questions concerning waste disposal. One example is the amount of waste produced annually in Germany, in which toxic, hazardous wastes play a major role. FoIlowing this train of thought, available data are used to show how limited the possibilities are for the long-term safe underground deposition of hazardous wastes with respect to the current quantities of waste. Of utmost importance is information on the 10ng-term effects of toxic wastes, as well as criteria which have to be considered with respect to the long-term safe deposition of hazardous waste. The natural chemical cycles and material transport in the various zones of the earth are the focus of interest here. They are the scientific basis for assessing every repository for anthropogenic wastes in geological systems. Therefore the significance of material transport and geochemical cycles is emphasized regarding all questions concerning the long-term safety of repositories on the earth's surface and in the lithosphere. Thus, our concept for the scientific evaluation of the long-term safety of underground repositories in geological systems differs from all other models presently under discussion in Germany. In this work, marine evaporites are discussed with respect to the underground deposition of hazardous wastes and the long-term safety of underground repositories in salt rocks. The isolation of hazardous materials from the biosphere can above all be influenced by fluid phases. Fluid phases can mobilize and transport hazardous materials through rocks in the biosphere. This is true, without exception, for all magmatic, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, and for marine evaporites, too! In Germany evaporites have commonly been considered to be completely impermeable with respect to fluid phases (solutions and gases). This erroneous view stems from a complete lack of knowledge or misestimation of the dynamic evolution of the composition of evaporite bodies. Unfortunately, this is still true today for parts of some state agencies which deal with repositories. However, all observations of evaporite bodies made over the last more than 100 years have clearly shown that under certain conditions fluid and gaseous components are mobile in evaporites as well. Solutions in marine evaporites have been the object of personal interest and scientific research of A.G. Herrmann for 40 years. The occurrence and formation of salt solutions in the various salt mining districts of Germany are presently being restudied and reevaluated on an extended scientific basis (e.g., v. BORSTEL 1992). A presentation of the current knowledge on salt solutions is beyond the scope of this publication. However, in the interest of continuing research a research project proposed by A.G. Herrmann (1987b) will be introduced here. The direct quantitative analysis of the chemical composition (quatemary and quinary systems) of small fluid inclusions in rocks of the salt deposits of Hessen and Niedersachsen are the primary focus of this project. Information important to fundamental research on the formation and alteration of salt rocks and on the long-term safety of underground repositories should be gained from these studies (e.g., HERRMANN & v. BORSTEL 1991). In addition to salt solutions, gases are also fluid components which occur in practically all marine evaporite deposits. Hence, both salt solutions and gases must be carefully considered when planning underground repositories in an evaporite body and evaluating their long-term safety. This publication contains an up-to-date overview of the gas occurrences in the marine evaporites of Central Europe. Despite previous studies, there is still a considerable deficit in scientific information regarding the distribution and formation of gases in the evaporites occurring in Germany. A detailed research program on the geochemical relationships involving the formation of evaporites and gases will draw attention to this situation. One aspect must be emphasized in the planning and construction of repositories for anthropogenic wastes: their long-term safety. This publication deals precisely with this subject, and in Part III of this work we will present the concept that we have developed. This concept is based on the fact that evaporite bodies are subject to a dynamic evolution and that the chemical and mineralogical composition provides important information on the effect of fluid phases on salt rocks. Previous works contain the testing of methods and presented initial results using the Gorleben salt dome as an example. However, we are just at the beginning of our research project on the long-term safety of underground repositories (e.g., HERRMANN & KNIPPING 1989, HERRMANN 1992). The information contained in this publication is based on years of experience in evaporite research and underground repositories for anthropogenic wastes. Examples are presented which can be applied to similar situations and problems in other countries. Waste disposal is not just a national problem, it has long become an international one for all types of anthropogenic wastes...

Description / Table of Contents: Digital signal processing has become more and more an integral part of observational seismology. While it offers unprecedented power in extracting information from seismic signals, it comes at the price of having to learn a variety of new skills. Dealing with digital seismic data requires at least a basic understanding of digital signal processing. Taking the calculation of true ground motion as the guiding problem, this course covers the basic theory of linear systems, the design and analysis of simple digital filters, the effect of sampling and A/D conversion and an introduction to spectral analysis of digital signals. It contains a number of examples and exercises that can be reproduced using the PITSA software package (Scherbaum and Johnson 1993) or similar programs.

Description / Table of Contents: Starting from a more general discussion of mechanisms controlling organic carbon deposition in marine environments and indicators useful for paleoenvironmental reconstructions, this study concentrates on detailed organic-geochemical and sedimentological investigations of late Cenozoic deep-sea sediments from (1) the Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea (ODP-Leg 105), (2) the upwelling area off Northwest Africa (ODP-Leg 108), and (3) the Sea of Japan (ODP-Leg 128). Of major interest are shortas well as long-term changes in organic carbon accumulation during the past 20 m.y. As shown in the data from ODP-Legs 105, 108, and 128, sediments characterized by similar high organic carbon contents can be deposited in very different environments. Thus, simple total organic carbon data do not allow (i) to distinguish between different factors controlling organic carbon enrichment and (ii) to reconstruct the depositional history of these sediments. Data on both quantity and composition of the organic matter, however, provide important informations about the depositional environment and allow detailed reconstructions of the evolution of paleoclimate, paleoceanic circulation, and paleoproductivity in these areas. The results have significant implications for quantitative models of the mechanisms of climatic change. Furthermore, the data may also help to explain the formation of fossil black shales, i.e., hydrocarbon source rocks. (1) BAFFIN BAY AND LABRADOR SEA The Miocene to Quaternary sediments at Baffin Bay Site 645 are characterized by relatively high organic carbon contents, most of which range from 0.5% to almost 3%. This organic carbon enrichment was mainly controlled by increased supply .of terrigenous organic matter throughout the entire time interval. Two distinct maxima were identified: (i) a middle Miocene maximum, possibly reflecting a dense vegetation cover and fluvial sediment supply from adjacent islands, that decreased during late Miocene and early Pliocene time because of expansion of tundra vegetation due to global climatic deterioration; (ii) a late Pliocene-Pleistocene maximum possibly caused by glacial erosion and meltwater outwash. Significant amounts of marine organic carbon were accumulated in western Baffin Bay during middle Miocene time, indicating higher surface-water productivity (up to about 150 gC m -2 y-l) resulted from the inflow of cold and nutrient-rich Arctic water masses. The decrease in average surface-water productivity to values similar to those of the modern Baffin Bay was recorded during the late Miocene and was probably caused by the development of a seasonal sea-ice cover. At Labrador Sea Sites 646 and 647, organic carbon contents are low varying between 0.10% and 0.75%; the origin of most of the organic matter probably is marine. A major increase in organic carbon accumulation at Site 646 at about 7.2 Ma may indicate increased surface-water productivity triggered by the onset of the cold East-Greeniand Current system. Near 2.4 Ma, i.e., parallel to the development of major Northern Hemisphere Glaciation, accumulation rates of both organic carbon and biogenic opal decreased, suggesting a reduced surface-water productivity because of the development of dosed seasonal sea-ice cover in the northern Labrador Sea. The influence of varying sea-ice cover on surface-water productivity is also documented in the short-term glacial/interglacial fluctuations in organic carbon deposition at Sites 646 and 647. (2) UPWELLING AREAS OFF NORTHWEST AFRICA The upper Pliocene-Quaternary sediments at coastal-upwelling Site 658 are characterized by high organic carbon contents of 4%; the organic matter is a mixture of marine and terrigenous material with a dominance of the marine proportion. The upper Miocene to Quaternary pelagic sediments from close-by non-upwelling Sites 657 and 659, on the other hand, display low organic carbon values of less than 0.5%. Only in turbidites and slumps occasionally intercalated at the latter two sites, high organic carbon values of up to 3% occur. The high accumulation rates of marine organic carbon recorded at Site 658 reflect the high-productivity upwelling environment. Paleoproductivity varies between 100 and 400 gC m "2 y-1 during the past 3.6 m.y. and is clearly triggered by changes in global climate. However, there is no simple relationship between climate and organic carbon supply, i.e., it is not possble to postulate that productivity was generally higher at Site 658 during glacials than during interglacials or vice versa. Changes in the relative importance between upwelling activity (which was increased during glacial intervals) and fluvial nutrient supply (which was increased during interglacial intervals) may have caused the complex productivity record at Site 658. Most of the maximum productivity values, for example, were recorded at peak interglacials and at terminations indicating the importance of local fluvial nutrient supply at Site 658. Near 0.5 Ma, a long-term decrease in paleoproductivity occurs, probably indicating a decrease in fluvial nutrient supply and/or a change in nutrient "content of the upwelled waters. The former explanation is supported by the contemporaneous decrease in terrigenous organic carbon and (river-borne) clay supply suggesting an increase in long-term aridity in the Central Sahara. At Site 660, underneath the Northern Equatorial Divergence Zone, (marine) organic carbon values of up to 1.5% were recorded in upper Pliocene-Quaternary sediments. During the last 2.5 Ma, the glacial sediments are carbonate-lean and enriched in organic carbon probably caused by the influence of a carbonate-dissolving and oxygen-poor deep-water mass. (3) SEA OF JAPAN Based on preliminary results of organic-geochemical investigations, the Miocene to Quaternary sediments from ODP-Sites 798 (Oki Ridge) and 799 (Kita-Yamato-Trough) are characterized by high organic carbon contents of up to 6%; the organic matter is a mixture between marine and terrigenous material. Dominant mechanisms controlling (marine) organic carbon enrichments are probably high-surface water productivity and increased preservations rates under anoxic deep-water conditions. In the lower Pliocene sediments at Site 798 and the Miocene to Quaternary sediments at Site 799, rapid burial of organic carbon in turbidites may have occurred episodically. Distinct cycles of dark laminated sediments with organic carbon values of more than 5% and light bioturbated to homogenous sediments with lower organic carbon contents indicate dramatic shortterm paleoceanographic variations. More detailed records of accumulation rates of marine and terrigenous organic carbon and biogenic opal as well as a detailed oxygen isotope stratigraphy are required for a more precise reconstruction of the environmental history of the Sea of Japan through late Cenozoic time.

Description / Table of Contents: Cellular growth is an important crystal growth process and offers an interesting example of natural pattern formation. The present work has been undertaken to study cellular growth, especially its pattern formation, both experimentally and numerically. In situ observations of faceted cellular growth clearly revealed cellular interactions in the array of cells. Cell tip splitting and loss of cells were observed to be the two main mechanisms for the adjustment of cell spacings during growth. For the first time, the true time-dependent faceted cellular growth has been modelled properly. The time evolution of faceted cellular growth has demonstrated the dynamical features of cellular growth processes. It was shown that the pattern formation was determined by cellular interactions in the array, either transient or persistent depending on the growth condition. The cellular structures were irregular when persistent interactions occurred, whereas relatively regular structures could be formed once the transient interactions had stopped. As a result of cellular interactions, a finite range of stable cell spacings was found under a given growth condition. Numerical experiments were carried out for k 〉 1 and k 〈 1 (where k is the solute partition coefficient), under a number of different growth conditions. It was found that these two cases were not symmetric as far as solute distribution is concerned; however the pattern formation behaviours were similar. For k 〉 1 shallow cells were retained, while for k 〈 1, the formation of liquid grooves along the cell boundary depended on the growth condition. The solute effect plays an important role in the cellular interactions in the array. The results were compared with experimental observations in thin film silicon single crystals. It is felt that a general behaviour of pattern formation is found and should be expected for other processes such as non-faceted cellular or eutectic growth. In addition, the solute flow in steady state cellular array growth was studied using the point source technique. Preliminary work was carried out to measure steady state non-faceted cell shapes. Heat flow in zone melting was studied numerically.

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE There are problems, when applying statistical inference to the analysis of data, which are not readily solved by the inferential methods of the standard statistical techniques. One example is the computation of confidence intervals for variance components or for functions of variance components. Another example is the statistical inference on the random parameters of the mixed model of the standard statistical techniques or the inference on parameters of nonlinear models. Bayesian analysis gives answers to these problems. The advantage of the Bayesian approach is its conceptual simplicity. It is based on Bayes' theorem only. In general, the posterior distribution for the unknown parameters following from Bayes' theorem can be readily written down. The statistical inference is then solved by this distribution. Often the posterior distribution cannot be integrated analytically. However, this is not a serious drawback, since efficient methods exist for the numerical integration. The results of the standard statistical techniques concerning the linear models can also be derived by the Bayesian inference. These techniques may therefore be considered as special cases of the Bayesian analysis. Thus, the Bayesian inference is more general. Linear models and models closely related to linear models will be assumed for the analysis of the observations which contain the information on the unknown parameters of the models. The models, which are presented, are well suited for a variety of tasks connected with the evaluation of data. When applications are considered, data will be analyzed which have been taken to solve problems of surveying engineering. This does not mean, of course, that the applications are restricted to geodesy. Bayesian statistics may be applied wherever data need to be evaluated, for instance in geophysics. After an introduction the basic concepts of Bayesian inference are presented in Chapter 2. Bayes' theorem is derived and the introduction of prior information for the unknown parameters is discussed. Estimates of the unknown parameters, of confidence regions and the testing of hypotheses are derived and the predictive analysis is treated. Finally techniques for the numerical integration of the integrals are presented which have to be solved for the statistical inference. Chapter 3 introduces models to analyze data for the statistical inference on the unknown parameters and deals with special applications. First the linear model is presented with noninformative and informative priors for the unknown parameters. The agreement with the results of the standard statistical techniques is pointed out. Furthermore, the prediction of data and the linear model not of full rank are discussed. A method for identifying a model is presented and a less sensitive hypothesis test for the standard statistical techniques is derived. The Kalman-Bucy filter for estimating unknown parameters of linear dynamic systems is also given. Nonlinear models are introduced and as an example the fit of a straight line is treated. The resulting posterior distribution for the unknown parameters is analytically not tractable, so that numerical methods have to be applied for the statistical inference. In contrast to the standard statistical techniques, the Bayesian analysis for mixed models does not discriminate between fixed and random parameters, it distinguishes the parameters according to their prior information. The Bayesian inference on the parameters, which correspond to the random parameters of the mixed model of the standard statistical techniques, is therefore readily accomplished. Noninformafive priors of the variance and covariance components are derived for the linear model with unknown variance and covariance components. In addition, informative priors are given. Again, the resulting posterior distributions are analytically not tractable, so that numerical methods have to be applied for the Bayesian inference. The problem of classification is solved by applying the Bayes rule, i.e. the posterior expected loss computed by the predictive density function of the observations is minimized. Robust estimates of the standard statistical techniques, which are maximum likelihood type estimates, the so-called M-estimates, may also be derived by Bayesian inference. But this approach not only leads to the M-estimates, but also any inferential problem for the parameters may be solved. Finally, the reconstruction of digital images is discussed. Numerous methods exist for the analysis of digital images. The Bayesian approach unites some of them and gives them a common theoretical foundation. This is due to the flexibility by which prior information for the unknown parameters can be introduced. It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of the standard statistical techniques. Whenever these results are needed, for easy reference the appropriate page of the book "Parameter Estimation and Hypothesis Testing in Linear Models" by the author (Koch 1988a) is cited. Of course, any other textbook on statistical techniques can serve this purpose. To easily recognize the end of an example or a proof, it is marked by a A or a t~, respectively. I want to thank all colleagues and students who contributed to this book. In particular, I thank Mr. Andreas Busch, Dipl.-Ing., for his suggestions. I also convey my thanks to Mrs. Karin Bauer, who prepared the copy of the book. The assistance of the Springer- Verlag in checking the English text is gratefully acknowledged. The responsibility of errors, of course, remains with the author.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume contains the proceedings of a symposium held at Freiburg im Breisgau, October 7-11, 1990. The symposium was sponsored mainly by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), by the Geological Institute of the University of Freiburg, and by the International Association of Mathematical Geology. We thank these and all other sponsors of the meeting. The symposium whose participants came from more then twenty countries was the first international meeting dedicated entirely to geological applications of threedimensional computer graphics, a rapidly growing field of scientific visualization in geology. The selection of papers in this volume covers a wide range of methods developed in the last decade.

Description / Table of Contents: The present interest in sediments which are rich in organic matter results not only from their economic significance as potential oil and gas source rocks, but also from the fact that their deposition is the result of special environments. Subtle changes in the environmental conditions may result in great variations in the geochemical and petrographical characteristics of the organic matter. Therefore, the study of organic matter-rich sediments can provide a key to past sedimentary conditions. In addition, the elucidation of the depositional controls is of importance for oil and gas exploration strategies, for which the knowledge of source rock distribution and quality is critical. Furthermore, organic matter reacts extremely sensitive to changes in temperature during burial. The result of this sensitivity is the generation of volatile products such as carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, oil and gas and a reorganization of the solid organic residue. Some of these changes are quantified as maturity parameters which can be used as calibration tools in basin modelling, i.e., in the modelling of temperature histories of sedimentary basins. The use of maturity parameters and other organic matter characteristics as indicators for diagenetic conditions and depositional processes is, however, restricted, if analyses are performed on outcrop samples, because weathering also affects organic matter.

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE This monograph is a compendium of revised papers which were originally presented at the "Ron Mather Symposium on Four-Dimensional Geodesy", 28-31 March, 1989, held at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The symposium had the enthusiastic support of the International Association of Geodesy and the Australian Academy of Sciences. The symposium served two purposes: to honour the achievements of the late Professor Ron S. Mather, the distinguished Australian geodesist who died in 1978, and to review and report on the latest developments in four-dimensional geodesy. Four-dimensional geodesy is a convenient term for those geodetic principles and techniques which yield position, gravity and their time variations. In the past geodesists have tended to think of the earth as a static body, save from occasional savage earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. So, why the need to coin the term "four-dimensional geodesy") Because it explicitly recognises that time is an integral part of understanding geodetic measurements. But let's first identify the scope of modern geodesy. Geodesy has traditionally been concerned with two separate, though closely related, topics: accurate positioning of objects on the earth's surface, and mapping the earth's external gravity field. These are still the fundamental tasks of geodesy, although the spheres of application have now extended into space. However, present and emerging geodetic measurement technologies for gravity field mapping and positioning are sensitive to defolTnations of the earth's surface and gravity field. Within the geodetic community, this new emphasis on accounting for the time-varying characteristics of position and gravity has fundamental principles; in particular the establishment and maintenance of appropriate global reference systems for geodesy. At the same time, there has been a growing recognition by the earth sciences in general of the important role of geodesy in studying earth deformations, as well as atmosphere and ocean dynamic phenomena. The geodetic measurements, for example, are taken over time scales of hours to decades, and occasionally to a century or longer. Though this is only a small part of the whole deformation spectrum, it is a very important one. Geodesy bridges the low frequency part of the spectrum available from geological observations, with the high frequency end observed from, for example, seismic instrumentation. It's role in atmospheric and oceanographic studies is as a unique, high precision remote sensing tool. The revolution in geodesy is not, however, restricted to the measurement technology only. It is true that without the advances of space geodesy and terrestrial metrology, the notion of four-dimensional geodesy is a rather academic one. These advances, which now reveal time-variable signals above the measurement noise level, have important implications for all geodetic activities. The geodetic activities we refer to can be identified as: experiment design and measurement processes; definition and maintenance of highly stabie geodetic reference systems; data analysis; and interpretation of position and gravity results. Ultra high precision measurements are of little use without sophisticated analysis tools to extract the small signals in the data. The interpretation of geodetic results will be in error if insufficient attention is paid to ensuring that the reference systems to which the results relate are themselves stable. Clearly four-dimensional geodesy is as much about concepts and principles, as about computers and geodetic equipment. This diversity is reflected in the papers selected for this book. They range over topics related to the modem measurement tools, the reduction and analysis techniques, to the interpretation of geodetic results within the context of problems currently being investigated in the earth sciences. We would like to thank the International Association of Geodesy and the Australian Academy of Sciences for sponsorship of the Symposium. Unisearch Ltd., the commercial arm of the University of New South Wales, was the managing agent, and staff members of the School of Surveying and of Unisearch Ltd. were involved in the organisation of the Symposium. We would like to gratefully acknowledge these excellent contributions. Let us express also our gratitude for the useful guidance which we received from Prof. K. Lambeck, A. Prof. A. Stolz and Dr. R. Coleman of the Scientific Advisory Committee and the continuous support given by Prof. E.W. Grafarend. Sincere thanks are due to the authors of the selected papers for agreeing to contribute to this Monograph, and for their positive cooperation during the production of this volume.

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE This volume contains a selection of papers presented and discussed at the COMTAGWorkshop on "Dynamics and Geomorphology of Mountain Rivers". COMTAG (Commission on Theory, Measurement and Application in Geomorphology) is a commission of the International Geographical Union (IGU). The meeting was held in the monastery of Benediktbeuern in the Bavarian Alps in June 1992. The main objective of the meeting was to review the most recent developments in research on river bed dynamics and bedload transport in mountain rivers. Questions of mountain torrent control and environmental protection were also addressed. The general theme of the meeting finds its appropriate scientific and spatial location in the long tradition of bedload transport studies carried out in the fluvially active German Alps, which are often affected by flood and mass movement hazards. The conference provided an impulse for discussions between researchers in the fields of mountain torrent hydrology, water resources management and bedload transport modelling. In the five years preceding the meeting the editors of this volume had headed a DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) project on "Bedload transport and river bed adjustment in the Lainbach catchment" within the priority programme "Fluvial Geomorphodynamics in the late Quaternary". Results of the investigations and newly developed measurement techniques were introduced to the participants during the meeting and an excursion to the nearby Lainbach River. The meeting was attended by sixty four scientists from fifteen countries. Thirty four papers were presented in sessions on bedload transport in mountain torrents, measurement techniques of solid material transport, mass movements and sediment supply, river bed adjustment and roughness characteristics of steep mountain torrents, models of bedload transport, and catastrophic flooding. From a regional perspective the majority of the contributions dealt with the Alps with a special focus on investigations carried out at the northern fringe of the Alps. Most of the papers presented were submitted for publication, and selected papers have been included in this volume. The workshop was financially supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Commission of the European Communities (Directorate General for Science, Research and Development), the Freistaat Bayern (Ministerium fOr Unterricht, Kultur, Wissenschaft und Kunst) and the US-Army Research and Development Standardization Group. The participants and the organizers are grateful for these grants. We thank the president of COMTAG, Asher Schick, for his friendly support during the preparation and organization of the workshop. We are also very much indebted to the Kathoiische Stiftungsfachhochschule M~nchen and the Salesianer Don Bo~cos, Benediktbeuern, who opened the rooms of the monastery of Benedikbeuern for scientific sessions and social events during the conference. The organization of the meeting would not have been possible without the help of the local and regional administration, water and forest authorities. We highly appreciate this assistance. In addition, the editors thank the Springer-Verlag for the inclusion of the conference proceedings in this series and the colleagues F. Ahnert, J. Bathurst, W. Bechteler, I. Campbell, P. Carling, N.J. Clifford, S. Custer, T. Davies, A. Dittrich, R. Ferguson, K. Garleff, M. Hassan, R. Hey, H. Ibbeken, J. Karte, H. Keller, D. Knighton, J. Laronne, M. Meunier, M.D. Newson, D. Oostwoud-Wijdenes, I. Reed, K.S.Richards, A. Scheidegger and W. Symader for their valuable contributions as reviewers of the manuscripts that were submitted for this volume.

Description / Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION Ecometry concerns measurements and interpretation of ecological data and relationships between data. It deals with most matters involved in the scientific aspects of the representativity and information value of samples and does not, in fact, concern statistical methods. In particular, ecometry can be regarded as an approach to obtain so-called load models and load diagrammes (effect-dose-sensitivity diagrammes), which are one of the aims/final products in aquatic environmental consequence analysis (H~- kanson, 1990; all these terms will be explained later on). This publication is meant to demonstrate what can and cannot be done using ecometric approaches. It must be emphasized at the outset that the main intention here is not to provide new radioecological knowledge on how Cs-137 is dispersed in aquatic ecosystems after the Chernobyl accident and is taken up in fish, but to use Cs-137 as a type substance and pike as a biological indicator to go through methods which should also apply to other types of environmentally hazardous substances (it could just as well have been substance X in ecosystem Y). As a secondary effect, we may also learn something about Cs-137. Several terms and methods, which have not been used earlier in the aquatic environmental sciences, e.g., ecometric analysis and dynamic modelling using moderators, will be discussed and defined...

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE Following the economical and social development of the local communities, mountain regions of temperate climates are increasingly becoming the site of valuable infrastructures and important urban and industrial settlements. As the catastrophic events of last years in the European Alps have clearly shown, the vulnerability of these territories has correspondingly increased, in terms of both property damage and losses of human life. Until recently, the hydraulic scientific community has paid little attention to mountain watersheds, except perhaps during the period if the hydropower development. Nevertheless attention was then focused on problems and methodologies somewhat different from the issues of actual environmental concern. More recently, however, hydraulic engineers have joined their colleagues from forest and rural engineering, who have traditionally dealt with erosion control in mountain areas, to bring in their own methodology, already experienced in lowland rivers. At the same time, academic people focused an interest in some phenomena, like massive transport, which is typical of mountain environment. To bring together all these contributions and to make the state of the art of the mountain river science (oropotamology) and technology, an International Workshop was called at the University of Trent (Italy), on October 1989, under the sponsorship of Fluvial Hydraulic Section of the IAHR. Three main topics have been recognized as particularly relevant from the point of view of both research and professivnal people: a) Hydrodynamics of steep channels and local scale process; b) Sediment movement and sediment training, with special emphasis on massive transport; c) Particular features of sediment transport related to non-uniform grain-size. However, as it is the case in these circumstances, the contest of several contributions often spread over more than one topic. In the following Introduction to papers, the three topics were split into 11 Sections, each one devoted to a more particular aspect recurrently addressed during the discussion. The same paper, thus, may be mentioned in different Sections of the Introduction.

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE This volume presents results from members of the Project 216 "Global Biological Events in Earth History" of the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP). The project, initiated by the elder editor (O.H.W.) within the framework of the International Palaeontological Association (IPA) in the late 70s, was officially established in 1984. Subsequently, it led to the first three conferences on Global Bio-Events, and their respective symposia volumes: 1) In G6ttingen, West Germany in 1986 (WaUiser, O. H., Ed., 1986, Global Bio-Events, Springer-Verlag); in Bilbao, Spain in 1987 (Lamolda, M. A., Kauffrnan, E. G., and Walliser, O. H., Eds., 1988, Paleontology and Evolution: Extinction Events; Rev. Espafiola de Paleont., n. extraord.); and in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. in 1988 (this volume). The next meeting, on Innovations and Revolutions in the Biosphere, is planned in Oxford, England in 1990, to be hosted by Martin Brasier. During the history of this project, the focus of our research has shifted significantly. Initial focus was on specific global mass extinctions (e.g. the Precambrian/Cambrian, Frasnian/Fammenian, Cretaceous/Tertiary, and Eocene/Oligocene events) to a broader treatment of Phanerozoic mass extinctions, their differences or unifying factors, and their causal mechanisms. Subsequent meetings have attempted to focus attention on a fuller spectrum of global bio-events in Earth history. The Boulder Conference, and this volume, although still strongly influenced by the excitement of mass extinction research, expresses these new trends in bioevent studies. The Boulder conference, held on May 16-23, 1988, focused on a broad spectrum of Abrupt Changes in the Global Biota. Over 100 participants from 13 nations attended this meeting, representing diverse disciplines of palaeobiology, palaeoclimatology, palaeoceanography, sedimentology, geochemistry, and a broad spectrum of the stratigraphic and geological sciences. Four days of talks were supplemented by field trips to the continental Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in the Raton Basin, New Mexico, and to the Cenomanian/Turonian mass extinction interval exposed near Pueblo, Colorado. The Conference itself was characterized by a great diversity of approaches to bio-event research, and the phenomenon of mass extinction. In particular, interactive causes involving both extraterrestrial and earthbound (tectonic, oceanographic, climatic) forces were discussed, and each major Phanerozoic mass extinction was treated by specialists in the field. In addition, many presentations focused on the causal mechanism and patterns of bio-event development that were not restricted to mass extinction intervals, but which could cause regional to global biotic response at any time in Earth history. Thus, both the conference, and this volume, focus attention on climatic and oceanic perturbations from anoxia, advection, rapid thermal change, toxic chemical enrichment, and energy shock from impacts and giant tsunamis as forcing mechanism for regional to global bio-events. The delicate balance of perched ocean/ctimate~fe systems under typical warm equable non-glacial Phanerozoic conditions, and their susceptibility to shock from even small perturbations, was a philosophical theme that ran throughout the meeting. The case for extraterrestrial forcing of tectonic, volcanic, and biological events was greatly strengthened by new data presented at this conference, with special concern for the effects of small comet/meteorite impacts in the oceans, and their chemical/physical/biological signature which might be used, in the absence of shocked minerals, microspheres or trace metals, to identify extraterrestrial events associated with global and regional bio-events. The conference benefitted from the introduction of much new data at high levels of resolution, especially from poorly studied mass extinction intervals. Interactive discussions, and many new ideas characterized the meeting. The new scientific results of this meeting are exciting; they are reviewed in the Conference Report published in Episodes (1988, v. 11, n. 4, p. 289-292). Most of the key papers presented at the Boulder meeting appear in this volume. What lies ahead in bio-event research? Clearly, a great deal of excitement and an age of discovery. We have only touched the surface of this new and dynamic field. We are starting to comprehend the dynamics of global mass extinctions, integrating detailed geochemical, physical and biological data into scenarios of cause and effect. But in the years ahead lies the job of understanding the whole spectrum of regional bioevents preserved in the ancient record, and especially the application of this research to solutions of the critical problems inherent in global change and the modern biotic crisis. Future directions for research at this conference include the investigation and modeling of abrupt chemical and thermal shifts in the ocean, the effects of impacts at deep ocean sites, the documentation of successful survival strategies and repopulation patterns following biotic crises, the deep ocean record of bio-events, and focus on alternative forces other than impacting to account for mass extinction events. This volume introduces some of these new pathways in bio-event research.

Description / Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION Humic substances, comprise a class of biogenic, coloured, organic substances that are ubiquitous in soil, sediment and water. Originally, the occurrence and nature of humic substances were regarded as issues of primarily academic interest. This situation is now rapidly changing, and studies of humics have gained recognition as important contributions to environmental science. In particular it has been shown that humic substances, in several different ways can interact with biologically active substances, thereby modifying their environmental impact. Whereas the history of soil humus studies goes back to the 19th century, the awareness of aquatic humus is more recent. The brownish colour that, in many surface waters, shows the presence of substantial amounts of humic substances, was long considered to be a harmless phenomenon that did not call for detailed investigations. Hnmic waters had few known toxic effects, and the refractory character of hnmic substances indicated the they played a peripheral role in most biochemical processes. In fact, it was not until the mid 70's that aquatic humus was brought into focus in environmental science. The event trigging this was the discovery of the interaction between humic substances and chlorine used for disinfection of drinking water. Toxic substances, such as chloroform, were detected in all chlorinated waters, and humic substances were identified as the main precursors. The role of humics in the mobilization and subsequent transport of trace elements in the environment was recognized for the first time in the early 80's. This role was considered to be of particular importance in connection with geologic storage of high-level radioactive waste. In water with "normal" concentration levels of humic compounds, the speciation of e.g. the trivalent actinides, would be entirely dominated by the complexation with these agents. The topics of this conference (Session 1 - Isolation, fractionation and characterization; Session 2 - Biological and chemical transformation and degradation; Session 3 - Complex formation and interactions with solids; Session 4 - Biological activity; and session 5 Halogenation of humic substances) were selected to represent areas of current environmental interest...

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE The emergence of new information from drilling in deep-sea and coastal areas and the surfacing of the plate tectonics theory probably had the greatest impacts in recent decades on the highly accelerated growth of knowledge regarding the evolution of sediments and sedimentary rocks. Studies in recent years have also provided new insights on global sedimentary processes, and isotopic tools in many ways have enhanced our knowledge and have provided even an unexpected added dimension to the mechanisms of some specific processes. Many different uses of isotopic tools in studies of sedimentary processes can be found in the literature, but the information is highly scattered in the vast field of sedimentology. The disseminated state of existing isotopic knowledge on sedimentary systems has undoubtedly deprived many practitioners in the field to fully appreciate the benefits and limitations, and even the apparent confusion, concerning the use of isotopic tools. We have endeavored here to bring together discussions on some major sedimentary systems in the sedimentary cycle and to analyze them according to isotopic evidence. To accomplish such a task required contributions from many individuals. We were fortunate to have friends who accepted to share our goals. We most sincerely thank all the contributors to this book and deeply appreciate their patience and fortitude despite our undue demands on them to reach our objectives...

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE The search for tin dates back to the earliest days of civilization. For about 40 years, world tin mining has oscillated at a level of 150,000-250,000 t Sn/year, with a mine output in 1989 of 210,000 t Sn (MCS 1990). This figure corresponds to a current annual value of about US$1.5 billion and places tin ninth on the metal market behind iron, gold, uranium, copper, zinc, silver, platinum and nickel. Tin deposits belong to the granite-related ore deposit spectrum which includes many metals vital to current and future technologies such as Cu, W, Mo, U, Nb, Ta, Ag, Au, Sb, Bi, As, Pb, Zn, REE, Be, Ga and Li. The granitic rocks associated with tin and tin-tungsten deposits have long been identified as a special group of granites, the so-called tin granites. These rocks provide a unique opportunity to study the magmatic and hydrothermal history of tin ore formation. Tin granites are more easily identifiable as parent rocks for tin (and tungsten) mineralization than is the case for other mineralized granitic rocks such as molybdenum and copper porphyries. The magmatic molybdenum and copper distribution patterns are more complex (control by sulfide solubilities), and commonly obliterated by fluid interaction. The relatively simple situation of tin granites provides therefore an invaluable opportunity to study some metallogenic aspects of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits in general. The present study attempts to develop a general metallogenic model for tin in identifying the essential or relevant processes in tin ore formation. The methodological principle is based, on an interplay between a background of some basic petrogenetic concepts and a number of specific local and regional data on tin deposits and tin provinces, with particular reference to those areas with which the author is most familiar with (Bolivia, SE Asia, Europe). This inductive approach condenses the many apparently specific complexities encountered in individual ore deposits to a few major processes of general importance. The inherent reductionism may have a personal bias which is probably inevitable in any simple and broad-scale picture ("Apr6s tout, la raison est bien I'esclave des passions"; Feyerabend 1979:210). The critical problem of the relevance of those factors chosen for our model can be judged by its degree of consistency and predictive capability for new and analogous cases...

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE The papers contained in the present volume were prepared from the contributions presented during an international Advanced Workshop held in Santander, Cantabria, Spain between 1-5 November 1989. The workshop was a joint activity of the Working Group on Geology and Land-Use Planning (program "Geology and Environment", UNESCO), the Commission on Applied Quaternary Research (INQUA), the Sub-Commission on Maps of Environmental Geology (Commission of the Geological Map of the World) and the Grupo Españiol de Geología Ambiental y Ordenación del Territorio (Spanish Association for Environmental Geology and Land-Use Planning). The aims of the meeting were to discuss a series of topics in which the four participating scientific bodies share an interest, to analyze the existing problems and trends and to identify certain lines along which work and/or actions will be particularly necessary in the near future. It was expected that the discussions and the conclusions of the meeting would provide useful guidelines for earth scientists working on environmental problems and for other professionals and officials who deal with environmental analysis, planning and management, either on a scientific basis or in a decision-making capacity...

Description / Table of Contents: Pages 1-13 / Maars of the Westeifel, Germany / G. Büchel --- Pages 15-60 / Syn- and post-eruptive mechanism of the Alaskan Ukinrek Maars in 1977 / G. Büchel, V. Lorenz --- Pages 61-80 / Maars and maar lakes of the Westeifel Volcanic Field / Jörg F. W. Negendank, Bernd Zolitschka --- Pages 81-94 / Maars of northern Auvergne (Massif Central, France): State of knowledge / E. Juvigné, G. Camus, A. de Goër de Herve --- Pages 95-107 / Palaeoenvironmental investigations on long sediment cores from volcanic lakes of Lazio (central Italy)—An overview / Maria Follieri, Donatella Magri, Biancamaria Narcisi --- Pages 109-116 / Geophysical mapping of organic sediments / Stefan Wende, Reinhard Kirsch --- Pages 117-118 / Preliminary uniboom survey of the Monticchio Lakes (southern Italy) / A. Stefanon --- Pages 119-128 / Sonar investigations in the Laghi di Monticchio (Mt. Vúlture, Italy) / Ralph B. Hansen --- Pages 129-148 / Climatic and tectonic effects on sedimentation in central Italian volcano lakes (Latium)—Implications from high resolution seismic profiles / F. Niessen, A. Lami, P. Guilizzoni --- Pages 149-161 / Sediments and basin analysis of Lake Schalkenmehrener Maar / T. Heinz, B. Rein, J. F. W. Negendank --- Pages 163-171 / Organic carbon contents of sediments from Lake Schalkenmehrener Maar: A paleoclimate indicator / B. Rein, J. F. W. Negendank --- Pages 173-194 / Basin analysis for selected time-frames using sedimentation rates in Lake Meerfelder Maar (Westeifel FRG) / F. Wegner, J. F. W. Negendank --- Pages 195-208 / Turbidites in the sediments of Lake Meerfelder Maar (Germany) and the explanation of suspension sediments / D. Drohmann, J. F. W. Negendank --- Pages 209-222 / Paleoclimate reconstruction at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition—A varve dated microstratigraphic record from Lake Meerfelder Maar (Westeifel, Germany) / D. Poth, J. F. W. Negendank --- Pages 223-235 / Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Late- and Postglacial sedimentary record of Lake Weinfelder Maar / A. Brauer, J. F. W. Negendank --- Pages 237-275 / Sedimentology and paleoenvironment from the Maar Lac du Bouchet for the last climatic cycle, 0-120,000 years (Massif Central, France) / Elisabeth Truze, Kerry Kelts --- Pages 277-288 / Lago Grande di Monticchio (southern Italy) a high resolution sedimentary record of the last 70,000 years / Bernd Zolitschka, Jörg F. W. Negendank --- Pages 289-304 / A multidisciplinary study of the Vico Maar sequence (Latium, Italy): Part of the last cycle in the Mediterranean area. Preliminary results / P. Francus, S. Leroy, I. Mergeai, G. Seret, G. Wansard --- Pages 305-316 / Environmental geology and geochemistry of lake sediments (Holzmaar, Eifwl, Germany) / B. G. Lottermoser, R. Oberhänsli, B. Zolitschka, J. F. W. Negendank, U. Schütz… --- Pages 317-332 / Geochemistry of Lago Grande di Monticchio, S. Italy / C. Robinson, G. B. Shimmield, K. M. Creer --- Pages 333-348 / Tephrochronology of core C from Lago Grande di Monticchio / Anthony J. Newton, Andrew J. Dugmore --- Pages 349-365 / A palaeomagnetic study of maar-lake sediments from the Westeifel / B. Haverkamp, Th. Beuker --- Pages 367-376 / Preliminary 50m palaeomagnetic records from Lac du Bouchet, Haute Loire, France / T. Williams, K. M. Creer, N. Thouveny --- Pages 377-392 / Palaeomagnetic investigations of Lago Grande di Monticchio, southern Italy / Ian Turton --- Pages 393-420 / Late-Glacial/Holocene changes of the climatic and trophic conditions in three Eifel maar lakes, as indicated by faunal remains. I. Cladocera / Wolfgang Hofmann --- Pages 421-433 / Late-glacial/Holocene changes of the climatic and trophic conditions in three Eifel maar lakes, as indicated by faunal remains. II. Chironomidae (Diptera) / Wolfgang Hofmann --- Pages 435-439 / Ostracoda (Crustacea) and trichoptera (Insecta) from Late-and Postglacial sediments of some European maar lakes / Burkhard W. Scharf --- Pages 441-446 / Oligocence dinoflagellate-cysts in Quaternary freshwater sediments of Eifel maars / H. Weiler --- Pages 447-465 / Tertiary maars of the Hocheifel Volcanic Field, Germany / G. Büchel, M. Pirrung --- Pages 467-476 / Some aspects of Cenozoic maar sediments in Europe: the source-rock potential and their exceptionally good fossil preservation / W. Zimmerle --- Pages 477-484 / Palaeoecological implications from the sedimentary record of a subtropical maar lake (Eocene Eckfelder Maar; Germany) / Bernd Zolitschka --- Pages 485-489 / Arthropods from the Eocene Eckfelder Maar (Eifel, Germany) as a source for paleoecological information / H. Lutz --- Pages 491-497 / Flowers from the Middle Eocene of Eckfeld (Eifel, Germany)— First results / H. Frankenhäuser, V. Wilde --- Pages 499-503 / Initial results on the importance of a flora from the Middle Eocene of Eckfeld (Eifel, W.-Germany) / V. Wilde, H. Frankenhäuser --- Pages 505-509 / International Maar Deep Drilling Project (MDDP) a challenge for earth sciences? / Jörg F. W. Negendank, Bernd Zolitschka

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction / Pages 1-32 --- Interpretation using nomograms / Pages 33-47 --- Linear parameters / Pages 49-114 --- Non-linear parameters / Pages 115-173 --- Maximum likelihood and maximum entropy / Pages 175-193 --- Analytic inversion / Pages 195-211 --- Advanced inversion methods / Pages 213-227 --- Error analysis / Pages 229-243 --- Parallel computation in modelling and inversion / Pages 245-255

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE This book represents the first attempt in three decades to marshall out available information on the regional geology of Africa for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. Geologic education in African universities is severely hampered by the lack of a textbook on African regional geology. This situation is greatly exacerbated by the inability of most African universities to purchase reference books and maintain journal subscriptions. Besides, geologic information about Africa is so widely dispersed that a balanced and comprehensive course content on Africa is beyond the routine preparation of lecture notes by university teachers. Since geology is a universal subject and Africa is one of the largest landmasses on Earth with one of the longest continuous records of Earth history, there is no doubt that geologic education in other parts of the world will benefit from a comprehensive presentation of African geologic case histories. The scope of this text also addresses the need of the professional geologist, who may require some general or background information about an unfamiliar African geologic region or age interval. Africa occupies a central position in the world's mineral raw materials trade. Because of its enormous extent and great geologic age, the diversity and size of Africa's mineral endowment is unparalleled. Africa is the leading source of gold, diamond, uranium, and dominates the world's supply of strategic minerals such as chromium, manganese, cobalt, and platinum. Consequently, African nations from Algeria to Zimbabwe depend solely on mineral exports for economic survival. The geologic factors which govern economic mineral deposits are stressed in this text. The geological history of Africa spans 3.8 billion years, a record that is unique both in duration and continuity. Few other parts of our planet match the plethora of geologic phenomena and processes that are displayed in the African continent. From the various stages of crustal evolution decipherable from the Archean of southern Africa, through the plate tectonics scenarios in the ubiquitous Late Proterozoic-Early Paleozoic Pan-African mobile belts and in the Hercynian and Alpine orogenies of northwest Africa, to the East African Rift Valley, Africa is replete with excellent examples and problems for a course on regional tectonics. Teachers of igneous and metamorphic petrology can hardly ignore Africa's anorogenic magmatism (e.g.. layered ultramafic intrusives such as the Great Dyke and the Bushveld Complex; the Tete gabbro-anorthosite pluton; alkaline complexes; basaltic volcanism), or tantalizing highgrade metamorphic terranes such as the Limpopo belt, the Namaqua mobile belt, and the Mozambique belt. From the extensive Precambrian supracrustal sequences throughout the continent with enormous thicknesses of sedimentary rocks that have hardly been deformed or metamorphosed, to the stratigraphic evolution of Africa's present-day passive continental margin, there is a complete spectrum of facies models upon which to base a course on basin analysis and stratigraphy. To maintain its integrity a course on historical geology anywhere in the world must address the theory of Continental Drift beyond invoking past continuities between West Africa and South America. Past connections between West Africa and eastern North America must equally be explored, so also connections between northeast Africa and Arabia, and the paleogeography of southern Gondwana where Africa occupied centre stage. The Precambrian fossil record, the transitions from reptiles to the earliest mammals and dinosaurs, and the evolution of Man are among Africa's unique contributions to the history of life and the story of organic evolution. Although it lies today in the tropics Africa was the theatre of the Earth's most-spectacular glaciations. Even after the scene of continental glaciation had shifted to the northern continents only lately during the Pleistocene, Africa still witnessed spectacular climatic fluctuations during the Quaternary. Certainly students of archeology and paleoanthropology cannot overlook the Quaternary paleoenvironmental record of the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, the Lake Turkana basin in Kenya, the Nile valley, the Sahara, and southern Africa. But since African examples have already been cited in standard geologic textbook, I have often been asked why it has become necessary to revive the idea of a full-length textbook on African geology, 30 years after this idea was abandoned by the geologic community. My simple answer, as already stated, is that the wealth of available geologic information about Africa is so enormous and fascinating, but so diffuse, that an attempt must be made to assemble and pass on this knowledge.

Description / Table of Contents: PREFACE Sedimentation as a Three-Component System describes the most common styles of deposition in marine environments as they relate to sediment composition. Three components, organic matter, carbonate, and siliciclastic sediment, may settle concurrently, but at different rates, intermixing on the sea floor to form a particular sediment composition. A change in the flux of one component is capable of relatively diluting or concentrating the other two components, which can be expressed in the characteristic ratio of organic carbon to carbonate in the resulting sediment. The basic concept of this book is to address organic carbon-carbonate associations in terms of depositional inputs and time spans. In addition, the three-component system describes organic carbon changes related to major facies transitions. Examples include models of the genesis of carbonaceous sediments, with their various laminated to bioturbated lithotypes, and numerical organic carbon prediction. I hope that this book will encourage stimulating discussions and promote a new approach to quantitative stratigraphy...

Description / Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION The International Summer School of Theoretical Geodesy on Satellite Altimetry in Geodesy and Oceanography was held in Trieste (Italy) from May 25 to June 6, igg2. It was organized by Prof. R. Rummel of the Delft University of Technology and by Prof. F. Sansò of the Politecnico di Milano and was attended by 63 participants and 7 lecturers from 17 countries. The School was hosted by the International Centre of Theoretical Physics of Trieste. Satellite altimetry provides a lot of data that require more and more sophisticated models in order to be interpreted and exploited. One of the main problems related to the practical treatment of the data can be summarized as follows: oceanographers would like to ask geodesists to compute precise orbits and a precise geoid in order to put into evidence the Sea Surface Topography that can be interpreted as an oceanographic signal related to currents and to several physical parameters; on the other hand, geodesists would like to ask oceanographers to a-priori determine the Sea Surface Topography, in order to be able to extract from the altimeter data the geoid and the orbit errors to be used in the gravity field modelling. The solution to this dilemma can only be found in a cooperative frame. An integrated model to be used for a single-step treatment of altimetry is probably far to be defined, so at present geodesists and oceanographers must cooperate to obtain step-wise and iterative modelling of the gravity field and of the oceanographic phenomena. This is precisely the reason why the school on Satellite Altimetry was organized on an interdisciplinary basis...

Description / Table of Contents: The present study will provide an introduction into the biomechanics of trees and will give a critical survey of the phylogeny and the constructional principles of the tree habit. Since the trunk is considered the basic and crucial element of a tree, the analysis is largely restricted to a functional comparison of the stem anatomy of the various tree forms. It is based on the concept of constructional morphology, thus considering simultaneously the functional aspect and the ontogenetical and phylogenetical development of the various trunk types. The main questions to be answered in this study are; Why do trees exist? - Which are the constructional principles of tree trunks and when and in which group of plants do they appear? - How important are internal (phylogenetic) and external (functional, constructional) constraints? - What are the specific properties of the different constructional principles and does a correlation between trunk design and growth habit exist? - Is there a tendency in phylogeny to a better performance? The study does not (and cannot) intend to provide a detailed biophysical analysis of individual cases because experimental data on the mechanical properties of the structural elements of the different kinds of trees are still lacking. Instead, it will he the task to evaluate in a comprehensive and qualitative or semi-quantitative manner the available data of the morphology, anatomy and phylogeny of fossil and recent trees by using concepts of biomechanics and constructional morphology. Thus a somewhat holistic approach is used, which is becoming increasingly more acceptable today.