Sedimentary geology as an integrated discipline!
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I think Leeder's textbook will appeal to anyone who's striving to learn more about sedimentology and dynamic stratigraphy. It's a concise, yet thorough introduction to many topics selected within the vast, ever-expanding (and worryingly so! ) field of sedimentary geology... The author's main goal was probably to provide readers with a clear sense of how well integrated sedimentary geology now is with many other branches of earth and life sciences, physics and chemistry. And in my opinion such aim is succesfully achieved. The book will be suitable read to all those who have already taken an introductory, comprehensive course in sedimentology, and are on the look for something else to be inspired in their reflections. Reading through many of the chapters, newcomers will learn how many precious contributions sedimentology gained from other sciences, as well as just how much of a contribution the discipline can be in itself to the whole bandwagon of geology. It takes a holistical approach to Earth system science to highlight this, and the book hits this mark. I appreciated particularly a brief, separate chapter dealing with the properties and stuctures of fine, cohesive sediments, which is a refreshing perspective on the structural and dynamic sedimentology of muds... And a longer one introducing sediment sources as resulting from the interaction of tectonics and erosional processes. What left me rather disappointed was a too cursory mention of base-level control on successions, and its logical development into sequence stratigraphy, not as a preconceived model but as a new philosophy in tackling with the complexity of the stratigraphical record. But something had to be probably neglected or the tome would have become real cumbersome to handle physically! Also, I wonder whether Coriolis force really bears any influence upon such small-scale systems as lakes...? But this is an aside... All in all, the book is enjoyable and informative, the author's style pleasant and clear, the artwork excellent, and if you wanted to try out something alternative for mumbling on the hidden meanings of sands, muds and other slimy stuff we like so much, a go at this book would be very much worth the price...
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