Applications of concepts and methods of physics and chemistry to geology resulted in the field of Isotope Geochemistry which has revolutionized our understanding of our Earth system and our environment. When isotope techniques applied to understanding environmental changes that have taken place in the anthropocene, the resultant field can be defined as Environmental Isotope Geochemistry.

To begin with,a brief statement of what constitutes organic geochemistry is probably called for.It is the study of the transformation undergone by organic matter of all types, whether of biological or manmade origin, in the Earth System. The transformations involved vary from those mediated by biological processes involved  in the production of living tissue and the operation of food-chains, to those controlled by temperature and pressure at depth in the crust. Photochemical processes in the atmosphere and hydrosphere can also be important in controlling the environmental behaviour of some organic compounds.

Recurring concerns about the environmental fate and potential health impacts of radionuclides such as 137CS, 90Sr, and 99Tc continue to focus interest on understanding the mechanisms controlling radionuclide transport in soils. At the same time, the difficulty and complexity of cleaning up radionuclide-contaminated soils highlights our inability to predict radionuclide transport in near surface environments. Nevertheless, new theories and novel analytical techniques are increasingly able to provide a picture of radiochemical reactivity in situ in soils at the molecular level. There is therefore the possibility that an atomic level view of contaminant binding to soils can provide a knowledge-based framework for choosing remedial targets, achieving cleanup, and protecting public health. Interest in such subjects led to a symposium entitled "Soil Geochemical Processes ofRadionuclides" that was held at the 1999 Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting at Salt Lake City, UT. <...>

The volume ‘‘Environmental Geochemistry: Site Characterization, Data Analysis, Case Histories’’ contains selected papers presented at the ‘‘Workshop: Environmental Geochemistry—Site Characterization, Waste Disposal, Data Analysis, Case Histories’’ held in Napoli (Italy) on May 4–5, 2006. Participants from private and public institutions of Canada, Finland, Greece, Italy, the UK, and USA, took part.

The zone between land surface and the water table, which forms the upper boundary of  the groundwater region, is known as the vadose zone. This zone is mostly unsaturated—or more precisely, partially saturated—but it may contain a saturated fraction in the vicinity of the water table due to fluctuations in water levels or capillary rise above the water table.

Acid rain is used loosely to describe both acidic gases in the atmosphere and, more precisely, rain, mist or snow containing acid compounds of sulphur and nitrogen. Two main gases contribute to the formation of acid rain: sulphur(IV) oxide (SO2), produced by burning fossil fuels which contain sulphur, such as coal and oil; and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which are formed when anything is burnt. The formation of acids from these gases and the way in which they move through the atmosphere are also affected by other pollutants, including ozone. The main sources of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen are power stations which burn fossil fuels, other large industrial combustion plants and motor vehicles <...>

The oceans of the world represent a natural depository for the dissolved and particulate products of continental weathering. After its input, the dissolved material consolidates by means of biological and geochemical processes and is deposited on the ocean floor along with the particulate matter from weathered rock. The ocean floor deposits therefore embody the history of the continents, the oceans and their pertaining water masses.

The authors of this volume presented a short course on the rare earth elements to about 80 participants in San Francisco, California, December 1-3, 1989, just prior to the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union. This was the nineteenth in a series of short courses that the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) began sponsoring in 1974. It was the brain-child of Robert Hazen and David Stewart, and the latter was the agent who recruited Bruce Lipin (and later, Gordon McKay) to undertake this monumental work. This book joins a long list of Reviews in Mineralogy (see opposite page for details) that MSA has made available to the scientific community at reasonable cost. The editors and authors thank Mrs. Marianne Stern and Mrs. Margie Sentelle at Virginia Tech for their tireless efforts (under considerable pressure) in preparation of camera-ready copy for this volume. We also thank Mr. Todd N. Solberg for helping with word-processing problems on the computer. <...>

Монография является результатом многолетней работы автора по изучению геохимии гипергенного бора.

В первой части автор рассматривает современную методику комплексного определения бора в горных породах, водах и каусто- биолитах и делает выводы о результатах исследований.

Во второй части излагаются общие вопросы химии, геохимии, кристаллохимии гипергенных боратов и их распространенность в природе, а также миграция бора в зоне гипергенеза.