Atlas of micromorphology of mineral alteration and weathering

Atlas Of Micromorphology of Mineral Alteration and Weathering illustrates lavishly all the steps of weathering from incipient replacement along cracks to complete replacement by secondary minerals. Each of the 610 color photomicrographs from the author's extensive collection is accompanied by a detailed caption. In his book, the author, Jean Delvigne, patiently distills the work of a lifetime and successfully bridges the gap between petrological sciences and the soil sciences, with mineralogy as a common thread. He examines the transition between parent rocks and weathered materials that are concealed, and commonly left unsampled, at the base of the soil profile. He deals with problems of classification, description and origin of altered rocks and indurated materials derived from them, and proposes the vocabulary needed to communicate findings in this field. He provides new insight into the diverse paths that high-temperature rocks take to adjust to their new surroundings near the Earth's surface. In general, weathering reactions are superimposed upon patterns of hypogene alteration. Here is a textbook and reference manual for a broad spectrum of scientists interested in the weathering and alteration of minerals. This field of study is relevant to soil scientists, agronomists, environmental mineralogists and economic geologists.