Reviewers of the German edition of this book found that the text deals with facts and descriptions of limestones rather than with glo- bal speculations on facies models or large-scale sedimentation pat- terns. The book is neither a picture-book nor a recipe-book for facies interpretation of carbonates, but an attempt to summarize the present "state of the art" of a rather small but increasingly more im- portant part of geology. The book is written for advanced undergraduate and post-grad- uate students as well as for research workers and exploration geol- ogists who need rapid and intensive training in modern methods of microfacies analysis. The book should facilitate decisions about which methods to use in one's own investigations, and where to look for comparative studies. Microfacies interpretation of carbonate rocks can not rely solely on the investigation of sedimentological and paleontological thin- section data, but must also consider geological and palecological cri- teria. It is beyond the scope of this book to describe all of these as- pects. However, broader applications are indicated in the chapters dealing with the relationships between geochemical as well as physi- cal data and the depositional and diagenetic fabric oflimestones.

Table of Contents:
1 Introduction to Fades Analysis.- 1.1 The Microfacies Concept.- 1.2 Methods of Facies Analysis.- 1.3 References.- 1.4 Supplementary Reading.- 2 Recent Carbonate Sedimentation.- 2.1 Carbonate Mineralogy.- 2.2 Carbonate Sedimentation in Marine Environments.- 2.3 Lacustrine and Terrestrial Carbonate Sedimentation.- 2.4 References: Recent Carbonate Sedimentation.- 3 Carbonate Diagenesis.- 3.1 Diagenetic Environments. Classification of Diagenetic Processes.- 3.2 Carbonate Destruction.- 3.3 Cementation.- 3.4 Sparite and Microsparite Terminology.- 3.5 Lithification of Lime Mud.- 3.6 Compaction.- 3.7 Stylolites.- 3.8 Calcite Veins.- 3.9 References: Carbonate Diagenesis.- 4 Microfacies Characteristics.- 4.1 “Groundmass” and Particles.- 4.2 Textural and Structural Criteria.- 4.3 Frequency Analysis (Constituent Analysis).- 5 Fossils in Thin-Sections.- 5.1 General Survey.- 5.2 Key to Identification.- 5.3 Selected Groups of Organisms.- 5.4 Microfacies Zones (with References).- 5.5 Annotated Bibliography: Microfacies Monographs.- 6 Classifications of Carbonate Rocks.- 6.1 Principles of Classification.- 6.2 Systems of Classification.- 6.3 Discussion and Examples.- 6.4 References: Classification of Carbonate Rocks.- 7 Microfacies Types.- 7.1 Prerequisites.- 7.2 Qualitative Categorization.- 7.3 Quantitative Categorization.- 7.4 Checklist for Microfacies Studies.- 8 Standard Microfacies Types.- 8.1 Principles.- 8.2 SMF Types.- 8.3 SMF Types and Facies Belts.- 8.4 Discussion and Examples.- 8.5 References: Standard Microfacies Types.- 9 Complementary Methods.- 9.1 Relationship Between Microfacies and Geochemical Criteria.- 9.2 Relationship Between Microfacies and Physical Criteria.- 9.3 Relationship Between Microfacies and Chemism of Carbonate Rocks.- 9.4 References: Physical andTechnological Criteria of Limestones.- 10 Facies Diagnosis and Facies Models.- 10.1 Diagnosis of Environmental Factors.- 10.2 Facies Criteria.- 10.3 Facies Models.- 11 Case Histories.- 11.1 Lacustrine Carbonates: Miocene Lake Deposits of the Ries, Southern Germany.- 11.2 Arid Carbonate Shorelines and Evaporites: Miocene of the Gulf of Suez Region, Egypt.- 11.3 Inner Shelf Carbonate Platform: Upper Jurassic of Karaburun, Western Anatolia.- 11.4 Outer Shelf Carbonate Platform: Upper Jurassic Sulzfluh Limestone, Graubünden, Switzerland.- 11.5 Ecologic Reefs: Upper Triassic Dachstein Reef Limestones of the Northern Alps, Austria.- 11.6 Stratigraphie Reefs: Lower Permian Trogkofel Limestones of the Southern Alps.- 11.7 Mud Mounds: Sponge-Algal Buildups from the Upper Jurassic of Northern Franconia, Germany.- 11.8 Subtidal Open-Marine Shelf Carbonates: Mishrif Formation, Cretaceous, Middle East.- 11.9 Shallow-Water Limestone Turbidites: Allodapic Limestones in the Upper Jurassic of Southern Franconia, Germany.- 11.10 Allochthonous Carbonate Deposits: Liassic Scheck Conglomerate: Adnet, Salzburg/Austria.- 12 Answers to Exercises.- 13 Indices.- 13.1 Author Index.- 13.2 Subject Index.- 13.3 Where to Find the Plates.