Mud and Mudstones

Mud and mudstone, the most abundant sedimentary rock, has been studied in many ways in different disciplines, but this book provides the first elementary overview of the field that is intended for those in related fields seeking an introduction and reference. Clear writing and analysis of the broad spectrum of processes that produce shale are coupled with well-captioned 150 illustrations, 40 tables, boxed technical details, glossary and appendices. The book enables readers to master the basics of shales and to dig yet deeper into their origin, practical implications and relationship to earth history. Key topics include the origin, transport of mud, sites of deposition, impact of bottom oxygen affects properties, shale at basin level, and uses. This concise overview will interest professionals, professors, and graduate students in geology, paleontology, petroleum geology and engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and city planners and architects.

Overview.- Production of Mud and Silt.- Transport and Deposition.- Role of Oxygen.- Muddy Depositional Systems.- Burial.- Provenance of Mudstones.- Muddy Basins.- Practicalities.