Faure, Gunter : The Ohio State University Main Campus
Summary
Designed to show students how to use chemical principles in solving geological problems, this text emphasizes
a quantitative approach to problem solving and demonstrates how chemical principles control geologic processes
in atomic and large-scale environments.
Features
Starts with basic principles and emphasizes quantitative methods of problem-solving.
Uses the principles of isotope geology to enhance the understanding of appropriate geochemical subject areas.
Examines the geochemical processes that affect the chemical composition of surface water and that determine
its quality for human consumption.
Considers the consequences of chemical weathering of sulfide minerals, including supergene enrichment, geochemical
exploration, and the availability of natural resources.
Presents a systematic summary of cosmology, stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, and the origin of the solar
system including twelve photographs of some of the planets and their satellites.
Features diagrams with lengthy captions effective for both browsing and quick reference review.
Contains more reference data than other similar texts offering the latest information available on the Earth
and other terrestrial planets.
Provides a book-end compilation of thermodynamic data for a large number of elements and their compounds.
Most chapters contain data tables and diagrams that provide a useful source of chemical data.
NEW - Features a new chapter on the chemistry of the atmosphere.
Presents the basic facts about the structure and chemical composition of the atmosphere.
Explains the formation of ozone in the stratosphere and its destruction by anthropogenic emissions of Cl-bearing
gases, especially over Antarctica.
Considers the radiation balance of the Earth and the perturbation of this balance by emissions of gases that
enhance the absorption of infrared radiation in the atmosphere.
Offers a long-range forecast of the effects of global warming on a time scale of 10^4 years based on the work
of W.S. Broecker.
NEW - Adds a chapter that summarizes the geochemistry of Pb in the environment and its effect on human health.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER I. PLANET EARTH IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
What Is Geochemistry?
In the Beginning.
The Solar System.
Chemical Differentiation of the Earth.
CHAPTER II. PRINCIPLES OF INORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY
The Electronic Structure of Atoms.
The Periodic Table and Atomic Weights.
Chemical Bonds, Ionic Radii, and Crystals.
Ionic Substitution in Crystals.
CHAPTER III. AQUEOUS GEOCHEMISTRY AND THE STABILITY OF MINERALS
Acids and Bases.
Salts and Their Ions.
Thermodynamics.
Mineral Stability Diagrams.
Clay Minerals.
Oxidation-Reduction Reactions.
Rates of Geothermal Processes.
CHAPTER IV. ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY AND MIXING
Isotopic Geochronometers.
Isotope Fractionation.
Mixing and Dilution.
CHAPTER V. APPLICATIONS OF GEOCHEMISTRY TO THE SOLUTION OF GLOBAL PROBLEMS
Consequences of Chemical Weathering.
The Chemical Composition of Surface Water.
Chemical Weathering of Mineral Deposits.
Geochemical Cycles.
Chemistry of the Atmosphere.
Environmental Geochemistry: Disposal of Radioactive Waste.
Effect of Environmental Lead on Human Health.
Appendix 1. Useful Data Tables.
Appendix 2. Standard Gibbs Free Energies (Gf0) and Standard Enthalpies of Formation (Hf0).
