Speleothem Science
From Process to Past Environments
By: Ian J. Fairchild, Ph.D., Andy Baker, Ph.D.
Published: May 8, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 450 pages
ISBN-10: 1405196203
ISBN-13: 978-1405196208
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
"This book is a response to the explosion of interest in speleothem archives of environmental change and our experience of being scientifically stretched to understand the processes that form them", write Professor of Geosystems, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK, Ian J. Fairchild, Ph.D.; and Professor within the Schools of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences at University of New South Wales, Australia, Andy Baker, Ph.D.,in their comprehensive and rigorously research based book Speleothem Science: From Process to Past Environments. The authors describe how the speleothems, mineral deposits formed in caves, are providing critical insights into the environments and climates during the ice ages and the following ages of civilization.
Ian Fairchild (photo left) and Andy Baker apply the principles of system science to Quaternary environments in a fresh and rigorous manner. The authors provide explanations based on a holistic examination of the relationship between the properties and composition of the speleothems, and the climatic and cave setting in which they are discovered. The authors recognize that Quaternary science is multidisciplinary in its approach, and the science of speleothems draws on many sciences and areas of study as well. The authors present the information as a companion to engaging in further, more specialized research into the many areas related to speleothems.
Andy Baker (photo left) and Ian Fairchild offer a complete scientific and geologic context for analyzing and utilizing speleothem as climatic archives. The authors demonstrate how to date and optimize the use of speleothems as proxies for climate change. The authors employ a systems science approach that offers both qualitative and quantitative analysis.
The authors organize their book into a series of overarching sections that cover all aspects of speleothems, their underlying scientific base and formation, and their importance as proxies and archives. The overview sections are as follows:
* Scientific and geologic context
* Transfer processes in karst
* Speleothem properties
* Paleoenvironments
* Archiving speleothems and speleothem data
For me, the power of the book is how Ian Fairchild and Andy Baker provide a complete overview of the science and insights gleaned from the study of speleothems. The authors take a system science approach to the study and analysis of Quanternary environments. The result is a comprehensive explanation of the various properties of speleothems and how they are produced in the various climatic and cave conditions through time and place.
The groundbreaking book provides a multidisciplinary examination of carbonate rocks, karst hydrogeology, climatology, aqueous geochemistry, carbonate geochemistry and the calibration of climatic proxies. The authors include countless data tables, and a series of black and white as well as color photographs to highlight and augment the text.
I highly recommend the landmark and very thorough book Speleothem Science: From Process to Past Environments by Ian J. Fairchild, Ph.D., and Andy Baker, Ph.D., to any students and professional scientists from a wide range of disciplines, who are seeking a holistic and comprehensive examination of the many topics and areas of research and study surrounding speleothems, climate, caves, and Quaternary science.
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