This book is the second of four reference volumes which collectively describe the achievements of the International Geological Correlation Programme Project 156 (Phosphorites) during the ten years of the Project's existence. Volume 2 contains 93 chapters contributed by 111 researchers, dealing with most, if not all, of the major individual deposits or phosphate fields of the world, whether of igneous or sedimentary origin. Total resources of phosphate rock are extremely large, but are unequally distributed geographically and only a relatively small proportion can be mined on an economic scale at present. The text is arranged on a continental basis, with an introductory chapter for each continent summarising the distribution of resources within the geological timescale. This unique volume provides a good understanding of the mode of occurrence, geological setting and phosphogenesis of the world's phosphate resources. It forms an invaluable aid to the search for, and exploitation of, phosphate deposits in many countries.
