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SCHIEBER J., ZIMMERLE W. & SETHI P.V. (Editors) Shales and Mudstones. Volume 1: Basin Studies, Sedimentology, and Paleontology.

vi + 384 pp. Volume 2: Petrography, Petrophysics, Geochemistry, and Economic Geology. v + 296 pp. E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany, 1998. Price: DM 210 for vols. 1 + 2, or DM 128 for vol. 1 and DM 98 for vol. 2. ISBN: 3-510-65183-9.

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Realizing Sorby’s (1908) vision – that we must learn the language of mudrocks to understand their importance – is approaching a century of erratic progress. Rapid advances were made as X-ray diffraction and later electron microscope techniques revealed the cryptic mineralogy and microtextures of these rocks. In contrast, regional understanding of shale geology made slower progress, usually on the back of exploration for hydrocarbons, and always lagged behind comparable knowledge of less common lithologies such as sandstones and limestones. So it is a pleasure to report that Shales and Mudstones closes the gap with a giant step towards fulfilling Sorby’s prediction.

Shales and Mudstones is a collection of papers linked by a series of chapter introductions, with an overview setting out a brief history of published work and the strategy adopted for both volumes. It comes in soft but durable covers, on glossy pages richly illustrated with high-quality photographs and diagrams. On . . . [Full Text of this Article]