Geomaterials Under the Microscope

Geomaterials Under the Microscope is of enormous economic importance to the global construction industry. This is the first comprehensive guide to the petrography of geomaterials, making the petrographer's specialist knowledge available to practitioners, educators, and students worldwide who are interested in modern and historic construction materials. Whether they are microscopists or professionals in the fields of geology, architecture, surveying, engineering, construction, archaeology, conservation, materials science, or forensic science, this book serves as a vital resource.

The book provides some 365 superb quality colour photomicrographs of geomaterials, along with concise explanations of their petrographic properties and how to interpret them.

An introductory chapter offers an overview of geomaterials practice and a state-of-the-art review of petrographic techniques. Each of the subsequent chapters covers a different group of construction materials and includes an explanation of their history, manufacture, and use in construction. The text draws upon diverse published references to provide a unique summary of the properties and classification of construction materials. Comprehensive lists of further reading are provided for each materials type.

Readership: Practitioners, educators, and students in Petrography, Microscopy, Geology, Surveying, Engineering, Archaeology, Conservation, Architecture, Materials science, and Forensic science.