/i7^ f 9- 



SCIENCE 



New Series. 

 Vol. V. No. 115. 



Friday, March 12, 1897. 



Single Copies, 15 cts. 

 Annual Subsokiption, S5.00. 



JUST READY. 



A Treatise on Rocks, 

 Rock= Weathering and Soils. 



By QEORQE P. MERRILL, 



Curator of Geology in the United States National Museum ; Professor of Geology in the Corcoran Scientific School 



and Graduate School of Columbian University, Washington, D. C; Author of " Stones for 



Building and Decoration," etc. 



CLOTH. 8V0. FULLY ILLUSTRATED. 



. Contents. 



Part I. THE CONSTITUENTS, Physical and 

 Chemical Properties, and Mode 

 of Occurrence of Roclcs. 

 I. Introductory. Roclis defined. 

 II. The Chemical Elements constitu^ 

 ting Rocks. 



III. The Minerals constituting Rocks. 



IV. The Physical and Chemical Prop= 



erties of Rocks. 

 V. The Mode of Occurrence of Rocks. 



Part II. THE KINDS of Rocks. Generalities 

 and Classification. 

 I. Igneous Rocks ; Origin of and 

 Classification = Relationship be= 

 tween Plutonic and Effusive 

 Rocks. 

 Aqueous Rocks. 



II. 



III. /Eolian Rocks. 



IV. Metamorphic Rocks. 



Part III. THE WEATHERING of Rocks. 



I. The Principles involved in Rock- 

 weathering. 

 U. Consideration of Special Cases. 



III. The Physical Manifestations of 



Weathering. 



IV. Time Considerations. 



Part IV. TRANSPOSITION AND REDEPOSI- 

 TION of Rock Debris. 

 I. Action of Gravity. 

 II. Action of Water and Ice. 

 III. Action of Wind. 



Part V. THE REGOLITH. Classification and 

 General Description, etc. Con- 

 clusion. 



Dr. Merrill has taken up a hitherto much neglected line of work, and one ivhich on hoth economic and 

 scientific grounds is of the greatest interest and importance. In his ' ' Rocks, Rock-weathering and Soils " he 

 treats of the origin, composition and structure of the rocks composing the earth's crust, the manner of their 

 ■weathering, or breaking down, and the causes that lead thereto, and finally, of the petrographio nature of the 

 product of this hreaking down. The work diifers from any thus far published in either England or America 

 in its thorough discussion of the principles of weathering and its geological efiects. Much of the matter given 

 is new, the result of the author's own observations and research, and has never before appeared in print. The 

 twenty-five full-page plates and many figures in the text are of more than usual excellence and are in a large 

 part entirely new or reproduced from the originals as they have appeared in scientific journals, not having as 

 yet found their way into existing text-books. 



The matter is so arranged that the book will be of value as a work of reference, and also as a text-book 

 for students in the Agricultural Colleges and Experimental Stations, while teachers and students in general 

 geology or physiography will find it to contain much of interest. 



Inquiries for further information should he addressed to 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, 66 Fifth Avenue, New York City. 



