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Book review |
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Wow – what a Gem.
This book contains everything one ever wanted to know about the use of clay materials in construction, and more. The book has been compiled by a 20 or so Member Clay Working Party of the Engineering Group of the Geological Society, under the Chairmanship of Prof Peter Fookes, and exhibits the well-thought out efforts of a strong well-chosen team. It is clearly stated in the Preface, that the document excludes the engineering aspects of clay in situ and concentrates on extracted material, which it does admirably. This is the final part of the trilogy of Geological Society publications on geological materials in Construction, adding to the documents on Aggregates and Stone, published previously. It is also the most voluminous of the three and took about 6 years to compile.
As stated in the Preface, the aim of the book was to ‘present and explain, in a coherent form, the very wide range of geological information about clay’. Did the authors and editors achieve this? After reading it from cover to cover, I think that this has been achieved with aplomb. Despite having been actively involved in clay studies (related primarily to roads and structures) for more than 30 years, this book gave me a new perspective on a number of concepts and introduced numerous new facts and interpretations to me.
The book consists of 15 sections, 4 comprehensive appendices, a glossary and scores of useful references. The first 4 chapters cover the background, composition, formation
