Although plate tectonics and mantle plumes were introduced to geology at the same time in the 1960s and early 1970s by J. Tuzo Wilson and Jason Morgan, unlike plate tectonics, which rapidly collected supporters from the Earth S c i e n c e community, mantle plumes took a back seat. Yes, Hawaii was an example of a mantle plume and as oceanic plates moved over plumes they leave hotspot tracks. The prevailing attitude was one of "this is fine, but let's now move on to plate tectonics where the real excitement is." For twenty years geoscientists focussed most of their efforts on trying to understand plate tectonics and document examples of it in the g e o l o g i c record. It w a s not until the late 1980s that scientists turned some of their attention to mantle plumes, and indeed during the 1990s, when mantle plumes really "became of age", publications dealing with mantle plumes increased exponentially. Why the long period of dormancy for mantle plumes? I believe it was simply because geoscientists were overwhelmed by plate tectonics-a band wagon effect that influenced all of the Earth Sciences.

In 1848, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., was beginning to shift from being primarily a literary publisher to being a scientific, technical, and engineering publisher. This shift was the first of many Wiley has made over the years as it has constantly adapted to meet the unique needs of each new generation.
This was also the year Wiley published one of its most enduring and notable titles: James D. Dana’s Manual of Mineralogy, including Observations on Mines, Rocks, Reduction of Ores, and the Application of the Science to the Arts. Over the years, it too has continually adapted to meet the changing needs of all who use it. Now in its twenty-third edition, the Manual of Mineral Science remains the standard for teaching introductory mineralogy/mineral science. <...>

Mineralogy is an integral part of the undergraduate education of geologists and it may also be part of a curriculum in materials science. One or several courses in mineralogy are generally required in a geology or earth science undergraduate program. These courses are meant as prerequisites to upper-level courses in petrology, geochemistry, economic geology, or mineralogy itself.

This book is the third in a series of three, intended primarily to provide a working manual for laboratory technicians and others engaged in the testing of soils for building and engineering purposes. It is not meant in any way to be used as a substitute for the Standards referred to therein, but to augment their requirements by the provision of step by step procedures. This third edition has been revised to take account of the current requirements of BS 1377: 1990,