One of four volumes which provides a good understanding of the mode of occurrence, geological setting and phosphogenesis of the world's phosphate resources.

This book is the second of four reference volumes which collectively describe the achievements of the International Geological Correlation Programme Project 156 (Phosphorites) during the ten years of the Project's existence. Volume 2 contains 93 chapters contributed by 111 researchers, dealing with most, if not all, of the major individual deposits or phosphate fields of the world, whether of igneous or sedimentary origin. Total resources of phosphate rock are extremely large, but are unequally distributed geographically and only a relatively small proportion can be mined on an economic scale at present. The text is arranged on a continental basis, with an introductory chapter for each continent summarising the distribution of resources within the geological timescale. This unique volume provides a good understanding of the mode of occurrence, geological setting and phosphogenesis of the world's phosphate resources. It forms an invaluable aid to the search for, and exploitation of, phosphate deposits in many countries.

This book is an important contribution to the scientific understanding of phosphate deposits.

This unique survey describes the world's ancient phosphorite deposits on a scale never previously attempted. The International Geological Correlation Programme started Project 156, on world phosphate resources, in 1977. An international team of forty-six researchers describes in twenty-five chapters almost 100 Precambrian or Cambrian deposits of phosphate rock, extending through all continents except Antarctica. The total resources are large, but only a small fraction is minable at present. The data presented give a good understanding of the distribution, nature and origin of phosphate deposits. The book is an important contribution to the scientific understanding of phosphate deposits, as well as a valuable aid to the search for an exploitation of phosphates in many parts of the world.

An analysis of phosphate-rock resources, based on past estimates and all available recent information, indicates that sufficient phosphate exists in the United States to meet domestic demands for the foreseeable future.

The origin of marine phosphorites, the principal raw material for phosphatic fertilizers, appears to be related mainly to marine biological productivity, often associated with upwelling currents during certain intervals of geological time. This book examines the environmental setting and resulting phosphorites which formed during the Miocene period, and investigations of modern oceanic environments where phosphorites are presently forming are also described.