A Practical Guide to the Study of Glacial Sediments

Sediments are the most valuable form of physical evidence for past Earth surface processes. They have the potential to build up an archive of events and provide a window into the past. Through careful examination of sediments the shifting patterns of surface processes across space and time are revealed, allowing us to reconstruct past environments and environmental change. A Practical Guide to the Study of Glacial Sediments is a guide to the standard techniques employed to read the sedimentary record of former glaciers and ice sheets. It demonstrates that the often complex and fragmentary glacial sedimentary record can, when examined systematically and rationally, provide detailed insights into former environments and climates in places where no other evidence is available. The complementary techniques covered in this book include: facies description, grain size analysis, clast form assessment, clast macrofabric analysis, micromorphology, particle lithology and assessment of engineering properties. They yield consistent and meaningful results in a range of glacial depositional environments throughout the world, from the high Arctic to the Himalayas. A Practical Guide to the Study of Glacial Sediments provides students and researchers with a clear and accessible guide to recording and interpreting glacial successions wherever the location.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements Figure Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Introduction and rationale D.I Benn and D.J.A. Evans Chapter 2 Facies description and the logging of sedimentary particles D.J.A. Evans and D.I. Benn Chapter 3 The size of sedimentary particles T.B. Hoey Chapter 4 Clast morphology D.I. Benn Chapter 5 Macrofabric D.I. Benn Chapter 6 Micro-scale features and structures S.J. Carr Chapter 7 Particle lithology (or mineral and geochemical analysis) J. Walden Chapter 8 Engineering properties B.R. Rea Chapter 9 The research project - a case study of Quaternary glacial sediments D.I. Benn, D.J.A. Evans, E.R. Phillips, J.F. Hiemstra, J. Walden and T.B.Hoey References

About the Author :
Douglas I. Benn is a Reader in the School of Geography and Geosciences at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. David J.A. Evans is a Reader in the Department of Geography and Geomatics, in the Centre for Geosciences at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. He is the editor of the textbook Glacial Landsystems (Arnold, 2004). The authors previously collaborated on the best selling textbook Glaciers and Glaciation (Arnold, 1998).

Review :
'An excellent clear and concise guide.' -- Dr Ian Alsop, University of Saint Andrews 20050425 A Practical Guide to the Study of Glacial Sediments deserves to achieve a large circulation; it is designed to be taken into the field, and fortunately, it is cheaper. -- Boreas Book Reviews Vol 34 20050505 ' A practical guide to the study of glacial sediments fills a gap in the array of recent undergraduate textbooks."I suspect that A practical guide to the study of glacial sediments will be another best-seller from the author of the widely used textbook Glaciers and glaciation.As a teacher, I have been presented with an accessibly written and well-illustrated textbook that might substitute much of my own teaching material.' -- The Holocene 15, 7 pp 1100-1103 20051102 I would unhesitatingly recommend this excellent book not only to undergraduates or postgraduates undertaking a glacial geologic/geomorphic research project, but also to colleagues wanting to get quickly up to speed on the established techniques in glacial field research. -- Martin Brook, Massey University 20060125