Interest in sediment dynamics is generated by the need to understand and predict: (i) morphodynamic and morphological changes, e.g. beach erosion, shifts in navigation channels, changes associated with resource development; (ii) the fate of contaminants in estuarine, coastal and shelf environment (sediments may act as sources

and sinks for toxic contaminants, depending upon the surrounding physico-chemical conditions); (iii) interactions with biota; and (iv) of particular relevance to the present Volume, interpretations of the stratigraphic record. Within this

context of the latter interest, coastal and shelf sediment may be regarded as a non-renewable resource; as such, their dynamics are of extreme importance. Over the years, various approaches and techniques have been applied to the determination of sediment transport pathways and the derivation of erosion, transport, and deposition rates. Such wide-ranging approaches include the refinement and application of numerical modelling; and the development of new and more efficient field equipment, e.g. video systems (coastal/ inshore) and multibeam. <...>

Настоящий сборник включает в себя 13 работ, в которых рассматриваются различные вопросы геодинамики, стратиграфии, истории геологического развития, магматизма, метаморфизма, кинематики региона, находящегося на стыке Африки, Саудовской Аравии и восточной Европы с позиций тектоники плит, т.е. как зоны субдукции и связанной с ней орогении.

The Society makes every effort to ensure that the scientific and production quality of its books matches that of its journals. Since 1997, all book proposals have been refereed by specialist reviewers as well as by the Society’s Books Editorial Committee. If the referees identify weaknesses in the proposal, these must be addressed before the proposal is accepted.

Once the book is accepted, the Society Book Editors ensure that the volume editors follow strict guidelines on refereeing and quality control. We insist that individual papers can only be accepted after satisfactory review by two independent referees. The questions on the review forms are similar to those for Journal of the Geological Society. The referees’ forms and comments must be available to the Society’s Book Editors on request.

Although many of the books result from meetings, the editors are expected to commission papers that were not presented at the meeting to ensure that the book provides a balanced coverage of the subject. Being accepted for presentation at the meeting does not guarantee inclusion in the book.

More information about submitting a proposal and producing a book for the Society can be found on its web site: www.geolsoc.org.uk.

Glaciers and ice sheets are among the world’s most beautiful and fascinating natural wonders. Whereas today glacier ice covers approximately a tenth of Earth’s land surface, during the ice ages of the last few million years, as much as a third of the land surface was covered by glacier ice. Modern glaciers and ice sheets possess many interesting features that reflect their dynamics, their interaction with landscape, rock, sediment and water, and they also inform us about climate change. The legacy of ice masses is reflected in the presence of a variety of landforms and sediments, many of which are also recorded in the rock record. The value of glaciers to society is immense.

Conventional oil and gas are usually found in pore spaces and fracture openings of sandstones, limestones, and dolomite. Shales, although considered to be important in many cases as source rocks and cap rocks for hydrocarbons, usually do not contain commercial oil and gas. In other words, from the standpoint of production, shales are relatively useless rocks.

If, for example, an exploratory well were drilled and a geologist tried to evaluate whether it had penetrated oil and/or gas accumulations, he would first separate the shaly sections as being of no interest, and then try to find out whether the other sections were oil-(and/or gas-) saturated or watersaturated. <...>