Many geologists, particularly those in industry, have commented adversely on the adequacy of university geology courses as a realistic precursor to a vocational career in any branch of the earth sciences other than in the universities themselves. This volume, among other things, is evidence that university staff are concerned about this situation and are introducing the reality, stringency and urgency of industry into areas where, until recently, they have been absent or poorly represented. In this context the study of volcanic processes belongs almost entirely to academics, whereas ore genesis, although a fascinating intellectual subiect, is of prime concern to the mining industry.

The idea for this book carne into being between 1981 and 1982 when J. V. W. came to Monash University to take up a Monash Postdoctoral Fellowship. During this period a short course on facies analysis in modern and ancient successions was put together, integrating J.V.W.'s extensive volcanological experience in numerous modern volcanic terrains with R.A.F.C.'s extensive sedimentological and volcanological experience in older volcanic and associated sedimentary successions in the Palaeozoic and Precambrian of Australia. The enthusiastic response from the participants to the first short course, taught in May 1982, and to subsequent annual re-runs, encouraged us to develop the short course notes into this book <...>

Volcanic landscapes, both active and dormant, and their related features provide priceless natural resources, which are used worldwide as tourist attractions that are popular with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
The preparation for this book has taken rather longer than anticipated but combining the collective information was a complex task. The delay, however, turned into a blessing, as in the meantime several more volcanic areas acquired protected site status, either as inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list or as members of the growing geopark associations such as the European Geopark Network, the Japanese Geopark Network and the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. <...>

The distribution of volcanism in the African plate refl ects a variety of processes, many of which are poorly understood, involving interaction between the lithosphere and the underlying convective mantle. Despite the maturity of the plate tectonic paradigm, our knowledge of the processes involved in the breakup of continents and the formation of new ocean basins remains limited.