The encyclopedia of sedimentology / Седиментологическая энциклопедия

The Encyclopedia ofSedimentology is a comprehensive, alphabetical treatment of the discipline of sedimentology. It is intended to be a reference book for sedimentologists, geologists, and others who come in contact with sediments. In the broadest sense, this group includes most of the world’s population because over 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with sediments and sedimentary rocks. The book should be particularly useful, however, to petroleum and coal geologists, soil scientists, hydrologists, archaeologists, and other professionals in related fields.
Sedimentology is a broad and growing discipline (see Sedimentology; Sedimentology -Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) that has seen the publication of several new texts and innumerable more specialized volumes in the last decade. We could not hope in this encyclopedia to cover the field in depth; but in breadth-from Microbiology in Sedimentology to Radioactivity in Sediments to Martian Sedimentation—we intend to provide readers with basic information and to direct them to more specialized literature.
Some attempt has been made to define terms and to adhere to definitions in this volume, but an encyclopedia is not a dictionary. It is a compendium of knowledge, and in some instances there are differences of opinion and in choice of terminology among the people who practice sedimentology. Nor is an encyclopedia a symposium volume; although we have tried to present an up-to-date book, controversial issues or new and untested ideas are not emphasized in an encyclopedia. The reader should be aware, however, that each entry may reflect the individual outlook of an author, from a broad, international spectrum of contributors. Partly for this reason, there are numerous entries that overlap in their coverage. The extensive crossreferencing should allow the reader to note differences in opinion or in approach. We hope that this diverse coverage will enhance the usefulness of the volume. <...>