The theme of this Memoir originated with the 11th Congress of the International Association of Sedimentologists held at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada during August 1982. It was in March 1979 that a University of Saskatchewan colleague, Hugh E. Hendry and myself proposed to the Congress Organizing Committee that a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge on conglomeratic sediments was timely. This proposal materialised into a 12-day symposium, chaired by the present co-editors, of 29 oral papers with published abstracts — 14 of which became material for this Memoir. 

В книге обосновано положение об аллохтонном накоплении фитомассы при формировании подавляющего большинства пластовых угольных залежей. Предложен альтернативный вариант теории ритмичного сложения угленосных толщ, где ведущая роль принадлежит прерывистому однонаправленному воздыманию областей сноса. Обоснована необходимость кардинального пересмотра ряда фундаментальных положений теории угленакопления и седиментогенеза.
Книга представляет интерес для широкого круга геологов, интересующихся вопросами генезиса угольных месторождений, фациальным анализом.

The Association exists to promote the study of sedi-mentology and the interchange of research, particularly where international cooperation is desirable. Members of the Association receive the journal Sedimentology and news circulars and are entitled to a reduction of fees at meetings sponsored by the Association. Members are also entitled to a reduction of costs of the Special Publications of the Association.

Extensional tectonics in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin, offshore Newfoundland: Implications for the timing of break-up between Grand Banks and Iberia

Sequence stratigraphic response to Aptian-Albian rifting in conjugate margin basins: a comparison of the Jeanne d'Arc Basin, offshore Newfoundland, and the Porcupine Basin, offshore Ireland

Early Tertiary evolution and sequence stratigraphy of the Faeroe-Shetland Basin: implications for hydrocarbon prospectivity

Ephemeral streams, dry washes, gullies, draws and arroyos are common names for a major element of Western landscapes. By definition ephemeral streams are characterized by short periods of flow, following local and intense rainfall, and alternating with long periods in which the channel is dry (Fig.] ,2).

The great contributions of CAYEUX (1941) have been a major factor in recognizing the environments in which sediments were deposited. However, I can certainly agree with BROUWER (1962) that Cayeux was too pessimistic in saying that it is uniquely by the analysis of ancient sediments that we can get to understand the conditions in marine basins of the past. It is quite possible that some of these ancient deposits were formed under conditions that no longer exist, but it seems likely that our failure to find analogies between past and present is due largely to the sparcity of studies in modern sedimentary basins. Compared to the thousands of geologists who are investigating ancient sediments there are only a handful of us who have been studying the Recent although we now have many new recruits. <...>

The Mediterranean Sea lies between Europe, Asia and Africa in an area famous for its ancient civilizations and cultural developments. It was an area where marine navigation was developed and where many trade routes intersected. The publication of one of the first monographs on marine geology and geography by Marsilli in 1725 suggests that the Mediterranean Sea was the cradle of marine geology.

The formation and transformation of oceanic sediments involve geological, biological, physical and chemical processes. The knowledge of oceanic sediments and other objects of the Earth and Ocean Sciences therefore requires a multidisciplinary approach. This knowledge considerably increased during the past 50 years, closely following significant progress in the methods of investigation at sea and in the laboratory. In addition, ocean exploration is deeply rooted in History. Our understanding of the Ocean (including oceanic sediments and related processes) progressed step-by-step, following the evolution of techniques and ideas. Chapters 1 and 2 summarize the historical aspects of Oceanography (focusing on Marine Geology), along with the variety of processes that drive the formation and transport of sediment particles as well as their accumulation and transformation in oceanic sediments. <...>

В книге обосновывается самостоятельность нового направления в науке — биоседиментологии. Она находится на стыке двух дисциплин — палеонтологии и седиментологии. Цель этого направления — исследовать роль организмов в осадочном процессе. Приводится характеристика биоседиментологии во всех аспектах взаимосвязи с другими дисциплинами. Развиваются лучшие современные классификации зарубежных ученых для биогенных структур, пород и организмов. При этом используются самые последние разработки отечественных ученых в этой области. Предложена классификация первичных карбонатных пород, рассмотрена роль организмов в осадочных процессах на Земле в течение всей ее геологической истории