The History and Sedimentology of Ancient Reef Systems

Reef. The very word conjures up restful, tropical images wrapped in warmth and displayed in shimmering colours. So it is with this book, a series of reef images, past and present brought to life by thoughtful and probing analysis. Ever since Darwin reported on his investigations of far-flung reefs, these structures have held an unending fascination for earth scientists. The fact that their fossil predecessors contain a wealth of information about past life and can be filled with hydrocarbons, means that they will always be subjects of legitimate scientific study. This book acts as a report on the status of reefs and reef research at the beginning of the 21st century. Although the perspective is geological, the articles are multidisciplinary, and so the book is a treasure-trove for biologists, ecologists and oceanographers. It brings together, in one place, papers by the experts who have for many years sought to understand the nature of reefs in different time periods.