In recent years, there has been increasing interest from geoscientists in potassic igneous rocks. Academic geoscientists have been interested in their petrogenesis and their potential value in defining the tectonic setting of the terranes into which they were intruded, and exploration geoscientists have become increasingly interested in the association of these rocks with major epithermal gold and porphyry gold-copper deposits. Despite this current interest, there is no comprehensive textbook that deals with these aspects of potassic igneous rocks. 

Geology can be defined as the scientific study of the Earth and especially the rocks and soils that make up the Earth: their origins, nature and distribution, and the processes involved in their formation. Engineering geology then may be defined as the scientific study of geology as it relates to civil engineering projects such as the design of a bridge, construction of a dam or preventing a landslide. Engineering geologists need to identify the local rock and soil conditions at a site and anticipate natural hazards such as earthquakes so that structures can be designed, constructed and operated safely and economically. He (or she, throughout) needs to work with civil engineers and understand what they are trying to do and the constraints under which they work. His remit and responsibilities can be extensive, covering all of the Earth Sciences, including geophysics, geochemistry and geomorphology. <...>

This textbook had an unusual inception. I had just started writing another one, on isotopes in the natural sciences, and was discussing it with a colleague, who surprised me and startled me. He commented that, in substance, a book about isotopes is all very nice, but that I should write a general introductory geochemistry book. I was taken aback: there are plenty of these out there already! From Brownlow [1] to Albarede [2], Misra [3], and White [4], to name just a few, there are several excellent general introductory geochemistry textbooks available, widely used by university students around the world. And once we include more specialized books, for instance about isotopes or geochronology, then we can fill not only shelves, but whole library sections with them! And really, I pointed out to my colleague that they are mostly very good, thorough, and complete textbooks, so the topic is well covered.