Mud and Mudstones: Introduction and Overview

Mud and mudstone, the most abundant of all sediments and sedimentary rocks, are relevant to many different human activities and disciplines and thus have a widely scattered literature. Our book provides the first elementary overview of mud and mudstone written for a broad spectrum of professionals, teachers and students in geology, petroleum geology and engineering, urban planning and development, paleontology and paleoecology, and architecture and archaeology. Mud and mudstone provide the foundations to master all their aspects and prepares you to dig deeply into the many fascinating questions of their origin, relationships to earth history and practical uses. Key topics include the production of mud, its transport, the important role of bottom oxygen, sites of deposition, burial, provenance, mudstones in basins and an overview of practical uses followed by an appendix and extended glossary.

From the reviews:

"The book covers just about every aspect successfully. The text is easy reading, even for a non-specialist, and the authors provide numerous examples – so many in fact that the subject index can be sometimes found wanting. ... The salient points of each chapter are summarized in concise tables ... . for anyone interested in the greater part of the sedimentary record this book makes fascinating reading and is a goldmine for pertinent references." (George Leckie, Petroleum Geoscience, August, 2005)

"The book covers, indeed, a broad spectrum. ... The text is written in an easily accessible form, and the numerous illustrations are well chosen. ... it is a good, instructive book with a high didactical value, and with a wealth of information. It brings together most of the relevant data about this abundantly occurring type of sediment which is now spread over such a large number of publications ... ." (Journal of Sedimentary Research, June, 2005)

"This volume treats the reader to lively, up-to-date discussions of how muds are produced transported, deposited, and later compacted, lithified, and exposed. The chemistry of mudstones and shales, integral to every stage of their being, is incorporated seamlessly throughout the book. ... This book is richly illustrated with diagrams and photographs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals." (J.H. Beck, CHOICE, Vol. 42 (11), July, 2005)

"I read this marvellous book on muds and mudstones. ... The book covers just about every aspect successfully. The text is easy reading, even for a non-specialist, and the authors provide numerous examples ... . for anyone interested in the greater part of the sedimentary record this book makes fascinating reading and is a goldmine for pertinent references. I believe it will come to be seen as the definitive text for muds and mudstones ... ." (George Leckie, Petroleum Geoscience, August, 2005)

"Fine-grained sediments are the most common type of deposits. In spite of this, hardly any books are focused on this sediment. ... The book covers, indeed, a broad spectrum. ... The text is written in an easily accessible form, and the numerous illustrations are well chosen. ... a good, instructive book with a high didactical value, and with a wealth of information. It brings together most of the relevant data ... . It is therefore a book that all ‘siliciclastic sedimentologists’ should at least have access to." (A.J. (Tom) van Loon, Journal of Sedimentary Research, June, 2005)

"The authors of this book ... have produced a volume that is basically an overview of our current understanding of fine-grained, muddy sediments. ... They envisage the book being used as the basis for a one-semester course, or as a reference for professionals ... . They have put in considerable efforts to achieve wide appeal, by ... providing an auxiliary reference list for each chapter and minimizing jargon while providing an excellent glossary. The many diagrams and photos are also clear and instructive." (Stuart Bull, Economic Geology, 2005)

"The book Mud and Mudstones is a ... comprehensive outline and assessment of fine-grained argillaceous rocks and sediments. ... The book benefits from the inclusion of a significant number of examples ... . the book is written in a style that is easy to read and provides for rapid cross-referencing of subjects/topics of interest to the reader. The authors have attempted to provide a useful summary of the important aspects of fine-grained argillaceous rocks, and they have achieved this." (Richard B. Pearce, Geological Magazine, Vol. 144 (1), 2007)

"There is much within this book that can be understood by engineers even though it is written by geologists for geologists. ... Further, there is much in this book that is of value to the general knowledge practising engineers require when designing structures in clays and their stronger equivalents, and for analyzing their stability. ... It is certainly a book for college libraries to purchase and one that could soon pay for itself if purchased by practising engineers." (M. H. de Freitas, Geotechnique, Vol. 55 (10), 2006)