Philpotts A.R., Ague J.J. Principles of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology

2nd Edition. — Cambridge University Press, 2009. — 684 p. — ISBN: 978-0-521-88006-0.The second edition of Principles of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology follows the same general approach as the first edition. The book is designed to introduce igneous and metamorphic petrology to those who have completed introductory college-level courses in physics, chemistry, and calculus. Its emphasis is on principles and understanding rather than on facts and memorization. With this approach, it is hoped that students will not only gain a sound understanding of petrology but will develop skills that can be applied to the analysis of problems in many other fields of Earth Science.
The first edition of the book was written during the 1980s (published 1990). Since then, the field of petrology has seen significant changes due to both increased knowledge of our planet and new research techniques. In preparing a book of this scope, one cannot help but reflect on the status of petrology as a field of scientific endeavor, especially in light of the trend at many universities to give only survey courses in petrology that are geared toward the environmental science student. From our perspective, the science is still growing and, indeed, the rate of growth of petrologic knowledge and new ideas appears to be increasing.
As with the first edition, the book is arranged so that it can be used in a two-semester course, or a one-semester course on either igneous or metamorphic petrology. Although it covers both igneous and metamorphic petrology, the contents of chapters allow the text to be used for courses dealing with either of these groups of rocks separately. Such a division, however, is somewhat arbitrary because the principles involved in the formation of these rocks are so similar. Moreover, in the upper mantle, where many petrologic processes have their origins, igneous and metamorphic processes are so interdependent that one cannot be treated without the other.
The order in which topics are presented in the new edition is essentially the same as in the first, except that diffusion is now treated in Chapter 5 along with heat flow and the chapter on isotopes has been moved from its penultimate position to the middle of the text. The new edition also contains many more illustrations of field relations and photomicrographs.
We believe that if users of the book learn as much about petrology in answering the problems as the authors did in creating them, they will be richly rewarded. The book, however, can be used without problems. We would recommend doing as many problems as possible. From our experience, students who have an aversion to mathematics may actually start to enjoy the subject when given the chance to apply it to geological problems. Deserving of special recognition are the students who, over the years, have struggled with these problems; their efforts have allowed us to clarify many of the questions.