John Collinson – författare

Now enhanced with colour photographs and illustrations, this thoroughly revised fourth edition of Sedimentary Structures enhances its status as a major textbook in geology. Since its first publication in 1982, Sedimentary Structures has established and maintained itself as a pre-eminent resource that sets out a clear methodology and philosophy for understanding present-day sediments and sedimentary rocks as the product of dynamic processes.The fourth edition of this classic textbook introduces erosional, depositional and post-depositional sedimentary processes in an easily accessible way. It shows how sedimentary structures can be interpreted, across a wide range of scales, in terms of those processes.Sedimentary structures produced by erosion, deposition and post-depositional change are all clearly explained and related to the processes that formed them. Hydrodynamic and aerodynamic controls on the development of subaqueous and aeolian bedforms are discussed, as are the styles of deformation to which sediments can be subjected after deposition. Structures that characterize deposition caused by chemical and biologically influenced processes are explained and illustrated, along with the complex effects of chemical changes, and of animal and plant activity in modifying sediments after they have been deposited. The book ends with an introduction to the methods and principles of environmental interpretation, for which earlier chapters provide an invaluable basis.Sedimentary Structures is designed principally for use in undergraduate settings and will be invaluable to students reading geology, earth sciences, physical geography and environmental sciences throughout their degree studies. It will also appeal to enthusiastic students at colleges and schools, as well as to amateur geologists who want to gain an understanding of sedimentary processes and products. Furthermore, the book is also valuable as a reference for both academic researchers and industry professionals alike. The fourth edition covers all major recent developments in the subject. It is characterized by an abundance of informative illustrations and photographic examples, and introduces colour figures for the first time.This edition, the first prepared without the direct input of the late David Thompson, builds on a major re-write that paid particular attention to recent advances in the understanding of aeolian processes and bedforms, and in the interpretation of trace fossils. The introduction to environmental interpretation has been further developed to reflect recent advances in stratigraphic thinking, thereby enabling sedimentologists to more readily relate the occurrence of assemblages of sedimentary structures to likely environments of deposition. Sedimentary Structures emphasizes a practical, hands-on approach. It remains indispensable to those with a serious interest in the study of sedimentary structures, not only as fascinating features in themselves but also as key indicators in the reconstruction of past environments.

This guide is a starting point for exploring the geology of the Pennines between the southern Yorkshire Dales and Nidderdale in the north and the southern part of the Derbyshire Peak District in the south. The book concentrates on the main Pennine range, but also takes in higher ground to the west, including Rossendale, the Forest of Bowland and the Staffordshire Moorlands. While the guide is aimed primarily at undergraduate level, it is written and illustrated to also appeal to visitors to the area.The greater part of the guide deals with sedimentary rocks of Carboniferous age (360-300 Ma). It discusses the changing tectonic regime and its influence on the development of sedimentary basins and their sedimentation. It describes the depositional environments, the subsequent tectonic deformation of the sediments and the controls on present-day outcrop patterns. The older visible geology consists mostly of limestones, deposited in a tropical setting during the Dinantian (360-330 Ma) on shallow-water carbonate platforms, on ramps and in deeper settings. Mound-shaped reef-like structures, that occur in many limestone areas, consist mostly of carbonate mudstone and formed under the influence of micro-organisms. On the Derbyshire Platform, carbonate deposition was disrupted by basaltic magma around several volcanic centres. Limestone deposition was followed by accumulation of a complex series of sandstones and mudstones comprising the Millstone Grit, deposited throughout the Namurian (330-318 Ma), when the Dinantian sea-floor topography was eliminated by the advance of large deltas, creating a vast plain across which Westphalian (318-308 Ma) Coal Measures were deposited.Introductory chapters explain the tectonic, stratigraphic and sedimentological factors that governed deposition, later deformation and mineralisation. The interaction of fluctuating sea-level in response to southern hemisphere glaciation and ongoing tectonic activity are emphasised. The field guide proper is in six chapters, each devoted to a particular area, where individual localities are described and illustrated. While some itineraries are suggested, the format allows users to plan trips to match their interests. An extensive glossary should help non-geologists with technical terms.