LibGuides: Rocks & Minerals: Books & eBooks

Featured eBooks

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Discover Nature in the Rocks Combines dozens of simple, non-intrusive activities with detailed illustrations and informative text to provide a friendly introduction to hands-on study of rocks and the earth. Perfect for adults and children.
Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils A detailed and extensively illustrated handbook. The colors, shapes and properties of minerals vary from the bland to the magnificent. Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils is a practical and authoritative handbook that is both comprehensive and easy to use. Each of the 600 specimens is shown in full color, sometimes in two or more forms. There are also drawings that show the structure of the crystalline specimens. It covers the basics like granite, as well as oddities like meteorites and tektites. Fossils include sponges, corals, arthropods, brachiopods, and fossil land plants. Each is described in detail, with notes on: color and transparency grain size hardness structure occurrence mineralogy distinguishing features habit cleavage texture alteration luster Mineral names, chemical formulae and structural data accord to international standards. This is a very complete, but attractive and useful volume in a respected series.
Double-Chain Silicates Looking mainly at the amphiboles, this volume has added sections on deerite, howieite and multiple-chain silicates (biopyriboles). This edition includes results of recent research into amphiboles. Each chapter is headed by a brief tabulation of mineral data and a sketch showing optical orientation. Diagrams of the crystal structures are presented and followed by discussion of the structural features, making use of data from spectroscopic and diffraction experiments. The chemical sections include over 550 analyses from which structural formulae have been calculated, illustrating the range of chemical and paragenetic variation exhibited by each mineral. There are results of P-T experiments, thermochemical and computer modelling techniques. The principal modes of occurrence are described in the paragenesis sections emphasizing correlations with chemistry.
Non-Silicates This volume deals with sulphates, carbonates, phosphates and halides, incorporating recent advances in investigative techniques. Each mineral chapter has sections on structure, chemistry, optical and physical properties, distinguishing features and paragenesis. Chapters are headed with brief tabulations of mineral data and a sketch of optical orientation. Results are included from ocean floor experimentation and deep sea drilling.
Orthosilicates A second edition, in two parts, of this reference series. This part examines the olivine and garnet groups and also the humite group, zircon, sphene, vesuvianite, the A12SiO5 (including mullite), topaz, staurolite and chloritoids. The disilicates and ring silicates are covered in Volume 1B.
Single-Chain Silicates A second edition, in two parts, of volume two of this reference series. This part deals mainly with the pyroxene minerals, but also with pyroxenoids, sapphirine and aenigmatite. The advances in research over the 15 years since the first edition was published are summarized in this text.

Featured Print Books

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Beneath Our Feet : The Rocks of Planet Earth This beautifully illustrated book reveals the astounding variety and beauty of the rocks and minerals all around us. Many stunning images show rocks from deep within Earth, rocks created and altered by heating and melting, rocks ejected from volcanoes, rocks shaped by erosion at Earth's surface, and extraterrestrial rocks that have crashed into Earth. These spectacular photographs are accompanied by clear and non-technical explanations of the main processes responsible for creating rocks and minerals. This book is for everyone interested in natural history, especially those who visit museums and national parks. The book can also be used as an introductory textbook for school students, and for non-science major undergraduate students. Earth scientists will also be thrilled by this stunning collection of images.
An Introduction to Fossils and Minerals : Seeking Clues to the Earth's Past Praise for the previous edition: "Outstanding, clear diagrams and various charts and maps clarify the material under discussion."School Library Journal An Introduction to Fossils and Minerals introduces the fascinating science of geology and how it reveals the history of the Earth as told by its rocks. The revised edition features: A systematic treatment of Earth history, rock types, marine fossils, terrestrial fossils, crystals, gems, and precious metals that provides insights into Earth's character The most current data available on such topics as global tectonics and faunal extinctions, including a wealth of information about the demise of dinosaurs New technologies in detecting and preserving rocks and minerals The effects of erosion and climate changes.
Minerals, Metals and Sustainability : Meeting Future Material Needs Minerals, Metals and Sustainability examines the exploitation of minerals and mineral products and the implications for sustainability of the consumption of finite mineral resources and the wastes associated with their production and use. It provides a multi-disciplinary approach that integrates the physical and earth sciences with the social sciences, ecology and economics. Increasingly, graduates in the minerals industry and related sectors will not only require a deep technical and scientific understanding of their fields (such as geology, mining, metallurgy), but will also need a knowledge of how their industry relates to and can contribute to the transition to sustainability. Minerals, Metals and Sustainability is an important reference for students of engineering and applied science and geology; practising engineers, geologists and scientists; students of economics, social sciences and related disciplines; professionals in government service in areas such as resources, environment and sustainability; and non-technical professionals working in the minerals industry or in sectors servicing the minerals industry.
Rock Formations and Unusual Geologic Structures : Exploring the Earth's Surface This work should appeal to both teachers and students searching for the latest in the study of Earth's more unusual topographical formations and the processes that shape them. It explores erosional effects and features, dating methods for specific logic structures and fossil formation.
Rocks & Fossils : A Visual Guide Uncover the intriguing world beneath our feet Rocks and Fossils reveal the state of the planet now and what the future may bring, including clues about the shifting, changing nature of the continents, mountain ranges, oceans, and islands. Rocks and Fossils is a beautifully illustrated book that brings life to the seemingly timeless landscape. It explains geological concepts in relevant and familiar terms. Lively illustrations reveal a vast, hidden world via cross-sections and cutaways with explanatory captions. The book explores the internal engine of our planet -- the liquid iron core unique among terrestrial planets, which is the catalyst for the creation and destruction of land, mountain, and oceans. Rocks and Fossils is organized in six main sections: The Dynamic Earth: the ever-changing nature of the world Ancient Worlds: life from the Precambrian era to the age of humans Key Features: how rocks and fossils form Rocks and Fossils in the Landscape: where to find fossils Minerals: How they form and why some are precious Fossils: signs of life from single-cell organisms to dinosaurs. Rocks and Fossils explains the fossil record to show how prehistoric lifeforms are linked to plants and animals still on Earth. Why did some species survive and others perish? What does the future hold?