Africa holds extraordinary prospects for the paleontological investigation of mammalian evolution. Largely still inhabited by relic Plio-Pleistocene mammalian faunas, it is populated by animals such as giraffes, rhinos, lions, gazelles, zebras, okapis, and giant forest hogs, as well as descendants of endemics of longer residence such as hyraxes and catarrhine primates, beneficiaries of having been sheltered from the most extreme effects of climate and ecological change due to the position of the landmass astride the equator, the only continent to span both northern and southern temperate zones (Sanders and Werdelin, 2010). Occupying 20% of the world’s landmass, Africa is home to approximately a quarter of all living mammals (Kingdon, 1997; Medellín and Soberón, 1999), encompassing a tremendous range of species and adaptations, fostered by the size and physical and ecological heterogeneity of the continent (Kingdon, 1989; O’Brien and Peters, 1999). <...>

Abstract—Following a long period of island arc-like orogenic activity, post-orogenic granites of Pan-African age (670-550 Ma) were emplaced throughout the Arabian Shield. Most of these rocks are typical subsolvus calcalkaline biotite monzogranite. The early Pan-African granites are associated with widespread small tholeiitic gabbro intrusions, many of which are layered. The calc-alkaline granites are not evenly distributed and their area of exposure relative to other rock types increases from S.W. to north and N.E. In the north-eastern part of the shield, they are associated spatially with rhyolites of similar composition and with molasse derived from granitic terrane.

The geological, geochemical and geodynamic processes involved in the formation of oceanic and continental crust during the Phanerozoic are well understood within the frameworks of plate and plume tectonics. However, processes and the mode (steady-state versus episodic) of oceanic and juvenile continental crust generation in the

Science progresses by continuous testing of theories. Today, the Earth sciences are intertwined with both economic and social policies in a complex world, more so than most of us could ever have imagined. Challenging the first principles of science and developing alternative explanations for observations are inherent in geological science, but seem to have been ignored when addressing concepts that have social and financial repercussions, such as climate change, environmental degradation, and catastrophic Earth events. Floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides—all are demanding political and policy attention.  Sorohktin, Chilingar, and Sorohktin are meeting that challenge with a book that documents the basis of the Earth sciences and prepares the reader to make better informed decisions about Earth-processrelated problems <...>