Introducing Sedimentology

by Stuart Jones

I really like the ‘Introducing ….’ series publish by Dunedin Academic Press, as you will have ascertained, if you have read the many reviews I have included in this magazine. This second edition of Introducing Sedimentology by Stuart Jones updates the version I reviewed a while ago (see Book review: Introducing Sedimentology, by Stuart Jones), and I found it equally enjoyable.

As the guide points out, sediments and sedimentary rocks (which make up 70% of the rocks on the Earth’s surface) are essential to our understanding, enjoyment, and economic exploitation of the Earth. In that latter respect, they are of immense economic importance (for building, production of energy, and so on), and we are likely to encounter a sedimentary rock or an associated sedimentary process at some point every day – whether driving our cars, living in brick or rock-built houses, burning coal, and much else besides.

In fact, Introducing Sedimentology covers all aspects of sedimentology, including the different types of sedimentary rocks and sedimentary structures, and environments of deposition of sediments. It also covers what sedimentology is, the change from sediment to sedimentary rock, and the economic resources that can be extracted from sedimentary rocks. In addition, it contains a useful glossary and further reading.

It is also full of explanatory diagrams and colour photographs, which is a characteristic of all Dunedin’s guides. Every page has colour and, if a picture tells a thousand words, then this guide is a lot longer than the 144 pages it consists of.

In fact, I found reading the book very easy. Complex subjects are treated in a way that makes them seem very simple. For this reason, I can see that the book is clearly written for students and amateur enthusiasts, but, to a lesser extent, for professional geologists. That is, it is an accessible and readable introduction to the science of sedimentology.

Dr Stuart Jones is Senior Lecturer in Sedimentology, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Durham and is passionate about sedimentology. He has taught the subject for many years to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and has led field trips and training courses for industry.

Introducing Sedimentology by Stuart Jones, Dunedin Academic Press, Edinburgh (2023), paperback (114 pages), ISBN: 978-1-780461021.