In recent years mineralogy has developed even stronger links with solid-state chemistry and physics and these developments have been accompanied by a trend towards further quantification in the theoretical as well as the experimental aspects of the subject. The importance of solid-state chemistry to mineralogy was reflected in a symposium held at the 1982 Annual Congress of The Royal Society of Chemistry at which the original versions of most of the contributions to this book were presented. The meeting brought together chemists, geologists and mineralogists all of whom were interested in the application of modern spectroscopic techniques to the study of bonding in minerals. The interdisci plinary nature of the symposium enabled a beneficial exchange of information from the various fields and it was felt that a book presenting reviews of the key areas of the subject would be a useful addition to both the chemical and mineralogical literature. The field of study which is commonly termed the 'physics and chemistry of minerals' has itself developed very rapidly over recent years. Such rapid development has resulted in many chemists, geologists, geochemists and mineralogists being less familiar than they might wish with the techniques currently available. Central to this field is an understanding of chemical bonding or 'electronic structure' in minerals which has been developed both theoretically and by the use of spectroscopic techniques."

The Advanced Science Institute on which this publication is based took the somewhat unusual form of a geological field symposium held during late August 1984. It was designed to demonstrate to experienced earth scientists from the North Atlantic area the full range of geological phenomena encountered in the British Caledonian rocks. The ASl travelled from South Wales to the far northwest of Scotland by the route shown on the map and in doing so examined sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks from Pembrokeshire (Dyfed), Cardigan (Ceridigian), Snowdonia, Anglesey, the English Lake District and the Southern Uplands and Highlands of Scotland. Thus the fifty or so participants in the ASl studied the geological history and major structures of rocks exposed on either side of the supposed Lower Palaeozoic Iapetus Ocean the British sector of which closed to the south of the present Southern Uplands. Wales (1-5) afforded insight into the nature of the late Precambrian basement of England and Wales and the relationship of sedimentary and volcanic cover sequences to this basement. The Ordovician sequence in Wales is a sample of the volcanic rocks typical of a marginal basin, and were examined in Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia. The English Lake District (6) displays rocks from an island arc also of Ordovician age.

The fourth volume in this series consists of eleven chapters. The first five deal with more theoretical aspects of the kinetics and mechanisms of meta morphic reactions, and the next six consider the interdependence of defor mation and metamorphism. All papers deal with natural processes that inter act on various time scales and with different degrees of mass and heat transfer. Consequently, many fundamental axioms of metamorphic petrol ogy and structural geology are questioned both for their accuracy and their usefulness. In raising such questions, most contributors have pointed to ways in which the answers could be forthcoming from appropriate experi mental studies or observations on natural materials. In their discussion of how order/disorder can influence mineral assem blages, Carpenter and Putnis emphasize that metastable crystal growth is common in metamorphic systems and state' 'there may be some reluctance (among many earth scientists) to accept that significant departures from equilibrium could occur." On the basis of presented evidence, they question whether reactions ever occur close to an equilibrium boundary. The neces sity for pressure or temperature overstepping is also required by nucleation rate theory. In any case, the degree of order is severely influenced by these kinetic effects in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic environments."

1.1. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE OPHIOLITE CONCEPT. Ophiolite, Greek for 'the snake stone', appears to have received its first written definition by Brongniart (1813) as a serpentine matrix containing various minerals. Later in 1821 and 1827, Brongniart determined that volcanic and gabbroic rocks were also present, associated with cherts, and he ascribed an igneous origin to the ophiolite. Amstutz (1980) gives an excellent exegesis of these early contributions and traces the further use of the term and concept of ophiolite. This concept had been forged in the western Alps and Apennines where, thanks to talented Italian geologists, in particular A. Sismonda, B. Gastaldi, V. Novarese and S. Franchi, the study on metamorphic ophiolites (the 'pietre verdi') has rapidly progressed. At the tum of the century the association of radiolarite, diabase, gabbro (euphotide), and serpentinite-peridotite was clearly identified, even through their metamorphic transformations. In 1902, Franchi developed the hypothesis introduced earlier by Lotti (1886), of a submarine outflow to explain the 'pietre verdi' association, on the basis of the attribution of the variolites and metamorphic prasinites to an hypabyssal volcanism, also responsible for the formation of radiolarites. Thus, before the popular work of Steinmann in 1927, the various components constituting an ophiolite had been identified and its hypabyssal origin proposed. As recalled by Amstutz (1980), the so-called 'Steinmann trinity', which consists of the association of radiolarites, diabases and serpentinites, was more completely and better defined in these earlier works.

At first glance it may seem presumptuous to want to add yet another to the numerous books on Differential Thermal Analysis (DT A). Thermoanalytical methods have been in use for some time, as shown by the more than five thousand publications containing DT A or TG curves listed by SMOTHERS and CHIANG in the bibliography to their handbook and abstracted in the several volumes of Thermal Analysis Abstracts (TAA), edited by J. P. REDFERN for the International Con federation for Thermal Analysis (ICT A). Every three years the proceed ings of ICT A meetings are published, bringing the latest results of thermoanalytic research. There is also the Scifax DT A Data Index, edited by R. C. MACKENZIE (1962) and modeled on the ASTM pattern card index (used for X-ray investigations), a compilation of the DT A data for several hundred minerals, and inorganic and organic materials. The theoretical foundations of thermogravimetry and DT A have been described in detail by LEHMANN, DAS and PAETSCH (1953), R. C. MACKENZIE (1957, 1970), DUVAL (1963), WENDLANDT (1964), GARN (1965), F. PAULIK et al. (1966), SMOTHERS and CHIANG (1966), and KEATTCH (1969). Thermoanalytical results are strongly influenced by various factors relative to preparation and equipment (see 1-2. 4 of this study). This is the reason why we frequently find, in these books as well as in the Scifax-Card catalog, contradictory data on the same substance."

Over 60% of the Earth's surface is covered with deep marine sediments, however, until the early 1980s, no comprehensive text books appeared to support the rapid expansion in the study of these sediments. While the whole field of marine geology has expanded enormously and entirely new disciplines, such as paleoceanography, have been developed, there remains a lack of reference texts on study techniques that investigators in the marine community can turn to. Minerals and Mineraloids in Marine Sediments is an optical identifica tion guide that I believe will become a standard reference text for use in the microscope analysis of marine sediment& and sedimentary rocks. The systematic collection of sediment cores from the deep ocean floor began in earnest with the Swedish Deep Sea Expedition, 1947-1948. Much of the microscopic examination of the sediments collected in these piston cores (10 m+ long) was conducted on separated grain mounts or thin sections of impregnated sediments. By the late 1960s a simpler technique of examining a mounted smear of the cored silt and clay size sediment on a microscope slide had become standard practice in American oceanographic institutions. This semi quantitative technique became the standard tool used in core description aboard Glomar Challenger through the 15 years of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), 1968-1983. Visual percentage estimates of biogenic and mineral components were made using petrologic micro scopes."

Statistical evaluations of exploration data are the basis for decisions to be made at various stages of an exploration project. In contrast to other geostatistical books, Statistical Evaluations in Exploration for Mineral Deposits focuses not only on theory, but examples are also given, frequently originating from experience in mineral exploration by the author who worked worldwide for a mining company. Together with its companion volume, Economic Evaluations in Exploration, the book illustrates methods used in exploration campaigns and mining activities. It is intended as a vademecum for geologists who are forced to make quick decisions regarding an exploration project. It also addresses scientists and students involved in teaching or in mineral economic evaluations, recommendations or decisions.

This book represents the proceedings of the 9th written by a very active group of physicists at Kongsberg seminar, held at the Norwegian Mining the University of Oslo - physicists interested in Museum located in the city of Kongsberg about complex systems in general and geo-like systems 70 km Southwest of Oslo. The Kongsberg district in particular. is known for numerous Permian vein deposits of The content of the book is organized into three native silver, and mining activity in the area lasted major parts following the introductory chapter. for more than 300 years, finally ceasing in 1957. Chapters 2 to 7 primarily treat the role of fluids The previous eight Kongsberg seminars were in specific geological environments, ranging from focused on ore-forming processes and all of these sedimentary basins (Chapters 2-3) to contact were organized by Professor Arne Bj0rlykke, now metamorphic/hydrothermal scenarios (Chapters director of the Norwegian Geological Survey. 4-5) and regional metamorphic settings (Chapters Since process-orientated research tends to break 6-7). The following four chapters (8-11) focus down the traditional barriers between the different on various properties of fluid-rock systems that geological disciplines, this seminar has always are critical in controlling flow and transport been a meeting point for people with a variety through rocks. These include: mineral solubility of geological backgrounds.

This book consists of a collection of papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Crust/mantle Recycl ing at Convergence Zones," held in Antalya, Turkey, between May 25 to 29, 1987. The workshop was attended by 36 earth scientists from ten countries and 28 papers were presented. Crust/mantle recycling is one of the most fundamental processes in the Earth. The study and understanding of this process requires the consideration of the Earth as a whole system including the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the core, as well as the crust and the mantle; effective interdisciplinary collaboration is therefore essential to our progress. The Antalya ARW gave us the opportunity to assemble key specialists from relevant branches of the earth sciences and to address our state of knowledge. This ARW proved to be very useful in attaining an interdisciplinary, mutual understanding among specialists from diverse fields such as isotope and trace element geochemistry, mineral physics, theoretical geophysics, seismology, experimental petrology, and structural geology.

Volume 4 focuses on the vibrant research area centering around "Biomineralization" and its role in Nature and in biomimetic applications. With nearly 2700 references, 14 tables, and more than 140 illustrations, it is an essential resource for scientists working in the wide range from material sciences and inorganic biochemistry all the way through to medicine including the clinic.

In 18 stimulating chapters, written by 36 internationally recognized experts, "Biomineralization. From Nature to Application" highlights critically the interrelations between crystals and life. The volume covers the role of genes and genomes as well as enzymes on biomineralization processes; carbonate, sulfate, oxalate, and silicate biominerals; heavy metals, ferritin, and magnetotactic bacteria; the formation of bone, dentin, enamel, etc; the dynamics of biomineralization and biodemineralization; the mechanical design and bioinspired growth of mineralized tissues; and polymer-controlled biomimetic mineralizations for diverse applications.

Acknowledgements xix pioneering workers on igneous layering in Greenland xx Wbrkshop participants xxii Henning Sfl!rensen, University of Copenhagen, Dermark. Latte Melchior Larsen, Geological SUrvey of Greenland, Copenhagen, Dermark. Abstract 1 1 * Introduction 1 1. 1 The agpaitic rocks of the Ilimaussaq intrusion 3 2. Igneous layering in the Ilimaussaq intrusion 4 3. Mineralogy of the layered kakortokite series 15 4. Chemistry of the layered kakortokite series 19 5. Origin of the kakortokite layering 20 5. 1 Discussion 22 6. Conclusion 25 References 26 2. I. AYERn";r CCMPl\CTIOO NID PCBJ. "--MN}tATIC ~ IN '!HE KLOKKEN INTRUSIOO 29 Ian Parsons and SUsanne M. Becker, University of Aberdeen, U. K. Abstract 29 1. Introduction 30 2. Age of the intrusion 31 3. General structure and mineral variation 31 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS 3. 1 Nomenclature of rock types 31 3. 2 Bulk chemical and modal variation 36 4. The contacts and wall-rocks 37 4. 1 Guter contact 37 4. 2 The gabbro sheath 37 4. 3 The unlaminated syenite sheath 39 4. 4 The gabbro-syenite transition 41 5. The layered series 43 5. 1 General relationships 43 5. 2 Granular syenites 43 5. 2. 1 Structure and cryptic variation 43 5. 2. 2 Origin of granular layers 46 5. 2. 3 Trace elements and chamber dlinensions 47 5. 3 Laminated syenites 48 5. 3. 1 General features 48 5. 3. 2 Mineral layering 51 5. 3.

Since the implementation of catalysts containing platinum-group-elements (PGE) for the control of vehicle emissions in 1975, a controversial discussion has begun on PGE emissions and eventual consequences for the environment. However, a comprehensive overview of the various works and results in different scientific areas is still lacking. This book covers all aspects of anthropogenic PGE emissions and their consequences for man and environment. The interdisciplinary approach is substantiated by contributions from the fields of environmental geosciences, analytical chemistry, biology and occupational medicine. The articles mirror the actual status of scientific work and discuss environmentally related topics. Modern analytical methods for various environmental matrices as well as models of the current and future geochemical behaviour of PGE in the environment are presented. Bioavailability and toxicological and allergic potentials are discussed.

In its relentless pursuit of further knowledge, science tends to compartmentalize. Over the years the pursuit of What might be called geophysical acoustics of the sea-surface has languished. This has occured even through there are well-developed and active research programs in underwater acoustics, ocean hydrodynamics, cloud and precipitation physics, and ice mechanics - to name a few - as well as a history of engineering expertise built on these scientific fields. It remained to create a convergence, a dialogue across disciplines, of mutual benefit. The central theme of the Lerici workshop, perhaps overly simplified, was 'What are the mechanisms causing ambient noise at the upper surface of the ocean?' What could hydrodynamicists contribute to a better understanding of breaking wave dynamics, bubble production, ocean wave dynamics, or near-surface turbulence for the benefit of the underwater acoustics community? What further insights could fluid dynamicists gain by including acoustic measurements in their repertoire of instrumentation? While every attendee will have his or her percep tions of details, it was universally agreed that a valuable step had been taken to bring together two mature disciplines and that significant co-operative studies would undoubtedly follow. The scope of the workshop was enlarged beyond its original intent to also include the question of ice-noise generation. The success of this decision can be seen in high quality of the presentations. the contribution of its disciples in the other workshop discussions and the heightened awareness and interest of we other novices."

After the spectacular successes of the 1960's and 1970's, the mineral exploration business is at a crossroads, facing uncertain t: imes in the decades ahead. This situation requires a re-thinking of the philosophy guiding mineral exploration if it is to emulate its recent performance. The ma: i. n argument of a previous volume titled "Designing Opt: lmal Strategies for Mineral Exploration," published in 1985 by Plenum Publishing Corporation of New York, is that a possible answer to the challenge facing mineral explorationists lies in the philosophy of opt: irn1zation. This new approach should help exploration staff make the best achievable use of the sophisticated and costly technology which is presently available for the detection of ore deposits. The main emphasis of the present volume is placed on the mathematical and computational aspects of the opt: irn1zation of mineral exploration. The seven chapters making up the ma: i. n body of the book are devoted to the description and application of various types of computerized geomathematical models which underpin the optimization of the mineral exploration sequence. The topics covered include: (a) the opt: lmal selection of ore deposit types and regions of search, as well as prospecting areas within the regions (Chapters 2, 3, 4, 6), (b) the designing of airborne and ground field programs for the opt: lmal coverage of prospecting areas (Chapters 2, 3, 4), (c) delineation and evaluation of exploration targets within prospecting areas by means of opt: irn1zed models (Chapter 5).

Everyone is familiar with the daily changes of air temperature. The barometer shows that these are accompanied by daily changes of mass distribution of the atmosphere, and consequently with daily motions of the air. In the tropics the daily pressure change is evident on the barographs; in temperate and higher latitudes it is not noticeable, being overwhelmed by cyclonic and anticyclonic pressure variations. There too, however, the daily change can be found by averaging the variations over many days; and the same process suffices to show that there is a still smaller lunar tide in the atmosphere, first sought by Laplace. Throughout nearly two centuries these 'tides', thermal and gravitational, have been extensively discussed in the periodical literature of science, although they are very minor phenomena at ground level. This monograph summarizes our present knowledge and theoretical under standing of them. It is more than twenty years since the appearance of the one previous monograph on them - by Wilkes - and nearly a decade since they were last comprehensively reviewed, by Siebert. The intervening years have seen many additions to our know ledge of the state of the upper atmosphere, and of the tides there, on the basis of measurements by radio, rockets and satellites.

Granite petrology has achieved significant progress since Tuttle and Bowen (1958) wrote the monograph on the Origin of granite in the light of experimental studies in the system NaAISi308-KAISi308-SiOrH20. Since then, the compo nents CaAI Si 0, FeO, MgO, and excess alumina have 2 2 s been added to the pure system Ab-Or-Qz-H 0 in order to 2 include plagioclase and common mafic minerals in the inves tigations. In addition to synthetic systems, natural rocks have been used as starting materials, and other fluid compo or substituted for water. nents have been added to There are many new data concerning properties of melts and magmas, dehydration melting of synthetic and natural rocks, and phase relationships at H 0-undersaturated con 2 ditions. We found it useful and necessary to summarize the available information in this volume, and an effort has been made to present up-to-date data on various aspects of gran ite petrology. Most parts of the manuscript were reviewed by John Clemens, Peter Nabelek, and Alan White. Their friendly help and suggestions improved it considerably. Some chap ters of this volume benefited from critical review by William Brown, Bruno Scaillet, and Robert Linnen. Peter Wyllie pro vided us with reprints and many critical and useful sugges tions. Jagmohan Singh improved the English considerably."

work on structural and stratigraphic relationships is presented from various parts of the mountain belt. In the first paper of the section, R. O. Greiling (Heidelberg) describes the Middle Allochthon of Vasterbotten, northern Sweden, where tectonic windows through the Upper Allochthon (Seve Nappe) show that the Middle Allochthon has a similar lithostratigraphy to that of the Stalon Nappe Complex of the eastern Caledonian margin but with a more ductile deformation and metamorphosed to a higher grade following thrust emplacement. These relations are explained by suggesting that the window rocks were initially subducted beneath a colliding western plate but were later accreted to the base of the western plate and thrust with it. The thrust geometry of the windows, described as antiformal stacks, agrees with this model. The Middle Allochthon of the Caledonian margin in northern Sweden is described by R. O. Greiling and R. Kumpulainen (Heidelberg and Stockholm) who record two distinct metasedimentary units separated by a thick zone of mylonites interpreted as a lateral thrust ramp. Turbidites in the northern unit were derived from an unidentified igneous source to the east and cannot be correlated with other sequences in the Middle Allochthon. In another paper dealing with the northern Swedish Caledonides, L. Hansen (Uppsala) describes down-to-the-west normal faults cutting the autochthonous Cambrian sediments in the tunnel sections of the Vietas Hydropower Station, but themselves being truncated by the basal decollement of the Lower Allochthon.

Phase transitions in minerals are of interest to a wide spectrum of scientists - geolo- gists, mineralogists, solid state chemists, and physicists. We have now reached the point where mean field theory or Landau Theory of phase transitions as a function of temperature, pressure, or chemical composition can be usefully applied to natural materials, resulting in an improved understanding of the thermodynamics of signifi- cant constituents of the earth. Given the chemical complexity of so many silicate solid solutions, there are two distinct approaches to the problems posed by common minerals: one is to con- centrate on model compounds which could be synthetic analogs or natural end- members; the other is to work on typical minerals, with all the disorder and inhomogeneity that this implies. Model compounds provide the elements needed to build up a realistic understanding of the thermodynamic behavior of natural inor- ganic materials in all their complexity. In the first part of the book, a number of papers are devoted to structural phase transitions in quartz, Na-and Ca-feldspars, MgSi0 perovskite, and PbI , where Landau Theory and lattice and molecular 3 2 dynamics have been used to explain or predict thermodynamic behavior. A different thermodynamic approach has been used to understand phase separation and atomic ordering in solid solutions such as olivines, pyroxenes, rhombohedral carbonates and oxides. E. Salje (Chapter 1) applies the Landau Theory for the second-order phase transi- tion to the feldspar end-members albite, NaAlSi0 , and anorthite, CaAlSi0 .

Mine Safety combines detailed information on safety in mining with methods and mathematics that can be used to preserve human life.

By compiling various recent research results and data into one volume, Mine Safety eliminates the need to consult many diverse sources in order to obtain vital information. Chapters cover a broad range of topics, including: human factors and error in mine safety, mining equipment safety, safety in offshore industry and programmable electronic mining system safety.

They are written in such a manner that the reader requires no previous knowledge to understand their contents. Examples and solutions are given at appropriate places, and there are numerous problems to test the reader's comprehension.

Mine Safety will prove useful for many individuals, including engineering and safety professionals working in the mining industry, researchers, instructors, and undergraduate and graduate students in the field of mining engineering.

Many geologists have an equivocal attitude to fluid movements within the crust and the associated changes in the chemical and physical properties of crustal rocks. The controversies earlier this centuary between the "soaks" and the "pontiffs" memorably summarised by H. H. Read (1957) in The Granite Controversy have largely been resolved. Few would now advocate the formation of large granitic bodies by in situ transformation of pre-existing crust as the result of the passage of ichors without the formation of a granitic melt. To many geochemists fluid transport and metasomatism have become slightly suspect processes which at the most locally disturb the primary geochemical and isotopic signatures. While there is common agreement that there are marked differences in the composition of the lower and upper crust, the role of fluid movement as one of the controls of this differentiation is often neglected in favour of suggested primary differences in the composition of igneous rocks emplaced at different depths. Selective fluid transport however provides many geologists with their livelyhood. Without the secondary concentration of commercially important elements by fluids within the crust the mining industry, geological science and human activities based on their products would be very different.

This book has been prepared by the collaborative effort of two somewhat separate technical groups: the researchers at the Institute for Petroleum and Organic Geochemistry, Forschungszentrum Jii lich (KFA), and the technical staff of Integrated Exploration Systems (IES). One of us, Donald R. Baker, from Rice University, Houston, has spent so much time at KFA as a guest scientist and researcher that it is most appropriate for him to contribute to the book. During its more than 20-year history the KFA group has made numerous and significant contributions to the understanding of petroleum evolution. The KFA researchers have emphasized both the field and laboratory approaches to such important problems as source rock recognition and evaluation, oil and gas generation, maturation of organic matter, expulsion and migration of hydrocarbons, and crude oil composition and alteration. IES Jiilich has been a leader in the development and application of numerical simulation (basin modeling) procedures. The cooperation between the two groups has resulted in a very fruitful synergy effect both in the development of modeling software and in its application. The purpose of the present volume developed out of the 1994 publication by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists of a collection of individually authored papers entitled The Petroleum System - From Source to Trap, edited by L. B. Magoon and W. G. Dow."

Physical Chemistry of Magmas investigates the properties, structure, and phase relationships of silicate melts with invited contributions from an international team of experts. Data and some rules for estimating the properties and structures of melts, as well as the implications of the physical chemistry of silicate liquids to igneous petrology are presented. The second section then focuses on phase relationships, with particular attention on the application of experimental and theoretical petrology to modeling the origin of certain magmas.

Identificationof rock-forming minerals in thin section is a key skill needed by all earth science students and practising geologists. This translation of the completely revised and updated German second edition (by Leonore Hoke, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, New Zealand) provides a comprehensive guide to identifying 140 of the most important rock-forming mineral species. The book is divided into three main parts. Part A is a practical guide to the fundamentals of crystal optics, polarization microscopy and the practical use of microscopes. Part B gives a detailed description of the characteristic optical features, special features, and the paragenesis of the most common rock-forming minerals. This well-illustrated part is divided into opaque minerals, isotropic, uniaxial and optical biaxial mineral groups. Part C contains identification tables for the minerals and diagrams showing the international classification of magmatic rocks, as well as a colour plate section showing crystal forms of minerals. The book will provide an invaluable guide to all undergraduate earth scientists, as well as to professional geologists requiring an overview of mineral identification in thin section.

The collection of papers in this volume is a direct result of the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Research Symposium on "Thermal History of Sedimentary Basins: Methods and Case Histories" held as part of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Annual Convention in New Orleans in March 1985. The original goal of the sym posium was to provide a forum where specialists from a variety of dis ciplines could present their views of methods that can be used to study the thermal history of a sedimentary basin or an important portion of a basin. An explicit part of that goal was to illustrate each method by presentation of a case history application. The original goal is addressed by the chapters in this volume, each of which emphasizes a somewhat different approach and gives field data in one way or another to illustrate the practical useful ness ofthe method. The significance of our relative ignorance of the thermal conductivities of sedimentary rocks, especially shales, in efforts to understand or model sedimentary basin thermal histories and maturation levels is a major thrust of the chapter by Blackwell and Steele. Creaney focuses on variations in kerogen composition in source rocks of different depositional environments and the degree to which these chem- . ically distinct kerogens respond differently to progressive burial heating."

The chapters making up this volume are based on the presentations given by their authors at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) , also entitled "The Microbiology of Atmospheric Trace Gases: Sources, Sinks and Global Change Processes", held between 13-18 May 1995 at II Ciocco, Castelvecchio Pascoli, Tuscany, Italy. Four reports of Working Group discussions on aspects of trace gas microbiology and climate change are also included in the volume, prepared by rapporteurs designated at the ARW. All the papers here presented have been subjected to peer review by at least two referees and corrections and amendments made where necessary before their acceptance for pUblication in this volume. The ARW was set up to address a wide range of issues relating to atmospheric trace gas microbiology and the organizing group was aware of the burgeoning of studies on gas metabolism and on global effects of atmospheric trace gases over the past two decades. This research effort has led to a number of specialist and generalist meetings including the triennial series of symposia on the metabolism of one-carbon compounds, colloquia concerned with dimethyl sulfide and its precursor, DMSP, through to the Intergovernmental Panels on Climate Change, which have addressed the impact of increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons on global climate. Over recent years methane and nitrous oxide showed rates of increase in the atmosphere of 40-48 and 3-4. 5 Tg/year, respectively.