Precambrian Sedimentary Environments / International Association Of Sedimentologists Series (PDF)

The motivation for this volume came from the idea that the
Precambrian is the key, both to the present, and to the
understanding of the Earth as a whole. The Precambrian constitutes
about 85% of Earth's history, and of that, about 3.75 billion years
of Precambrian time, represented by rocks, are accessible to
geoscientists. Ancient atmospheric and environmental conditions can
be traced back to the time when the Earth was only about 250
million years old. Precambrian rocks supply almost 75% of important
mineral resources such as Fe, Mn, Au, Pt and Cr. Many of these
elements are associated with sedimentary rocks and some important
hydrocarbon, coal and graphite deposits are also hosted by
Precambrian rocks.

This volume is aimed at geoscientists interested in Precambrian
sedimentary rocks and at students of Earth history. It contains
review articles discussing Precambrian conditions and case studies
from Precambrian shields and successions of North and South
America, Australia, Africa, Europe, Asia and India. The
introductory papers, written by experts on Precambrian
environments, treat comprehensively the application of actualism to
the Precambrian, the evolution and influence of life on the
sedimentary rock record, the genesis of Banded Iron Formations, the
Precambrian sulphur cycle and the significance of Precambrian
chemical carbonate precipitates. The case studies include
depositional settings and processes in Archean terranes, in
Paleoproterozoic sequences, with some emphasis on the lack of
vegetation and weathering, and in late Proterozoic sequences, with
some emphasis on glacial deposits. The contributions demonstrate
that Precambrian sedimentary deposits are commonly similar to their
Phanerozoic counterparts in terms of composition, sedimentary
processes, and depositional setting, but may differ significantly
as a result of lack of vegetation, climatic and biological
constraints, composition and circulation of seawater, and the
secular involvement of continental crust.

* * Contains review articles discussing Precambrian conditions and
case studies from Precambrian shields and successions of North and
South America, Australia, Africa, Europe, Asia and India.

* The introductory papers, written by experts on Precambrian
environments, treat comprehensively the application of actualism to
the Precambrian, the evolution and influence of life on the
sedimentary rock record, the genesis of Banded Iron Formations, the
Precambrian sulphur cycle and the significance of Precambrian
chemical carbonate precipitates.

* Detailed case studies include depositional settings and
processes in Archean terranes, in Paleoproterozoic sequences, with
some emphasis on the lack of vegetation and weathering, and in late
Proterozoic sequences, with some emphasis on glacial
deposits.

* Written for geoscientists interested in Precambrian sedimentary
rocks and students of Earth history.

If you are a member of the International Association of
Sedimentologists (IAS), for purchasing details, please see:
http://www.iasnet.org/publications/details.asp?code=SP33