reader who wishes to study economic mineral deposits. I have in mind that it they do include references to the source material. Full bibliographies are in could be the basic descriptive part of a university course on the subject. many cases unnecessary because of the monumental work of Ridge (Ridge, Many teachers of economic and mining geology prefer to lecture on the 1972 and 1976). formative geological processes and origin of mineral deposits, and most of The Scope, Purpose and Layout of the Book Terminology. This is a persistent problem in geology. What I have tried to the existing textbooks do likewise. The Atlas is intended to be a compen Air, sea, surface water and soil support life, from which comes our food; the dium of descriptive material on which a more analytical series of lectures, or do is use a consistent, and internationally acceptable set of terms, making as much use as possible of the recent attempts by international organizations to fossil remains of life, that is: coal, oil and gas, together with solar and course of reading, could be based.