FLÜGEL, E. 2004. Microfacies of Carbonate Rocks. Analysis, Interpretation and Application. xx + 976 pp. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag. Price Euros 99.95 (+ VAT at local rate), SFr 169.00, £77.00, US $99.00 (hard covers). ISBN 3 540 22016 X

Abstract

It is hard to imagine a more unfashionable topic and certainly not one that most research councils or committees charged with research assessment exercises would regard as top-level progressive science. Yet the topic, carbonate microfacies, is the cornerstone of carbonate sedimentology, especially for subsurface work. Without the ability to understand the origins of carbonate rocks then the hosts for nearly 50% of the world’s oil and gas would be a mystery to us; with the era of high priced energy already begun the ability to understand the distribution of oil and gas is even more critical than in the past. As in the earlier editions this monumental, definitive tome is set to be a bible for the carbonate sedimentologist for at least a generation; I still regularly use my 1982 copy because it contains so much basic information. This version is a much expanded, up-to-date and very clearly laid out reference work with a CD containing a massive reference list, although the end of …