Minerals are intrinsically resistant to the processes that homogenize silicate liquids—their compositions thus yield an archive of volcanic and magmatic processes that are invisible at the whole rock scale. Minerals and their inclusions record diverse magma compositions, the depths and temperatures of magma storage, the nature of open system processes, and the rates at which magmas ascend.

Georg Petersen’s Minería y Metalurgia en el Antiguo Perú was originally published in Spanish in 1970 through the Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, in Lima, Perú. Colleague, editor, and friend, Professor Duccio Bonavia, an archaeologist at the Academia Peruana de la Historia in Lima, recognized and was intrigued with Petersen’s broad interests and knowledge of geology and the use of mineral resources by ancient Peruvians, and he encouraged Petersen to publish his research. Petersen’s book is broadly appealing and useful to the specialist and non-specialist because it blends the archaeology, art history, biology, Colonial exploration, ethnohistory, geochemistry, geology, metallurgy, and the mining technology of ancient Perú. <...>

Te mining sector is essential in the economic development of many resource rich African countries as it has the potential to fnance infrastructural developments which are much needed in Africa. Tis is due to the fact that various minerals are used as raw materials in different sectors including construction and transport. Most importantly, mineral materials also play an important role in industrialization and urbanization which are now rapidly escalating on the continent.

This book is crafted against the backdrop of the commodities super-cycle that we had in the first decade of the 21st Century, and the mining industry having learnt severe lessons. Dr Ian Runge summarized the decade-long experiment with the prioritization of volumes and said, “The economics of mining is at an inflection point. For the last decade or so our focus has been on developing mines and bringing them into production. It is not production on its own that is important, it is how efficiently we can produce.”¹ The message was echoed by Ivan Glasberg, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Glencor at the time of penning this book: “The big guys really screwed up (during the super-cycle) by building too many mines”, and as a result he opined that miners needed to learn about supply and demand fundamentals. “The real trap in the gold industry in the past was chasing volume,” said Tom Palmer, Newmont CEO and, “No one made any real money,” according to Barrick Gold Corporation’s CEO, Mark Bristow. <...>