The methodology of isotope and geochemical studies involves the most complicated analytical procedures to obtain high-quality results and application to the analytical data of the genetic criteria developed by isotope geochemistry. Our results and recommendations can be regarded as innovative; they are for the first time based on such a broad and complete (11 systems) set of studies of independent isotope systems with nano- and micro-amounts of matter.

One of the earliest records, if not the earliest, of iron-manganese concretions relates to the form of soil nodules appropriately known as “buckshot gravel” and is given by Liechhardt (1847; quoted in Bryan, 1952) in his book “Overland Expedition from Morton Bay to Port Essington”. “Swarms of whistling ducks occupied large ponds in the creek, but our shot was all used, and the small iron-pebbles which we used as a substitute were not heavy enough to kill even a duck.” Such are the beginnings of science.

This book was initiated by a study conducted at Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences for Shell Research. For the present book this study has been considerably enlarged and modified. The book has benefited from discussions with numerous colleagues, and numerous colleagues have provided us with unpublished data and information. Without this support, this book would not have been possible.

Natural geologic hazards arise from the interaction between humansс and the Earth’s natural processes. Recent natural disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than a quarter million people and earthquakes in Iran, Turkey, and Japan have shown how the motion of the Earth’s tectonic plates can suddenly make apparently safe environments dangerous or even deadly. Th e slow sinking of the land surface along many seashores has made many of the world’s coastal regions prone to damage by ocean storms, as shown disastrously by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Volcanoes are an astonishing manifestation of the activity of planets and their satellites, as observed in active and/or fossil examples on Earth, Mars, Venus, Mercury, the Moon and the Jovian satellite Io. On Earth, volcanoes are one of the most impressive evidence of the same imbalance in energy that is also driving plate tectonics. Active volcanoes have terrified and at the same time fascinated populations and civilizations for thousands of years.

Water and earthquakes, while two seemingly separate subjects, do interact, as evidenced by the great many earthquakes during the last decade in themid-continental USA induced by the injection of toxic wastewater co-produced from hydrocarbon extraction.

In 1969, when I was a student in California, there was a rash of predictions from astrologers, clairvoyants, and evangelists that there would be a devastating earthquake and the entire state—or at least a large part of it—would fall into the ocean. The seers claimed this would happen during April, although they were not in agreement about the precise date.

Working with Migmatites: Nomenclature for the Constituent Parts Edward W. Sawyer

Identifying the Parts of Migmatites in the Field Edward W. Sawyer

Crustal Melting: Working with Enclaves Bernardo Cesare

Decoding Migmatite Microstructures Marian Holness

Insights into Crustal Melting and the Formation of Migmatites Gained from the Petrological Modeling of Migmatites Richard W. White

Granites, Migmatites and Residual Granulites: Relationships and Processes Michael Brown

The interplay between tectonics/structure and migmatite morphology in the field Gary Solar

As the title implies, this volume is divided into two parts. The first part is a brief assessment of world mineral supplies, and deals primarily with the geologic and economic factors which determine the demand for and the availability and distribution of mineral resources and reserves. The second part of the book is a more extensive and detailed view of the future of mineral resource supplies.