Boulder, CO, USA - Despite the general acceptance of the theory of plate tectonics for decades now, geoscientists still have much to learn about the processes involved in the breakup of continents and the formation of new ocean basins. The African Rift system is an especially unique natural laboratory for studying this transition. This new Special Paper combines articles from multiple disciplines, including volcanology, geochemistry, petrology, geophysics, and structural geology, for a better understanding of the geological evolution of Africa.
The distribution of volcanism in the African plate reflects the complex and dynamic interaction between the lithosphere and the underlying convective mantle. Written by an international group of authors headed by editors Luigi Beccaluva and Gianluca Bianchini of the University of Ferrara and Marjorie Wilson of the University of Leeds, the 16 chapters in this volume explore the similarities among the volcanic provinces of the Saharan zone, Cameroon volcanic line, Angola and Namibia, and the East African Rift system.
Individual copies of the volume may be purchased through the Geological Society of America online bookstore, http://rock.geosociety.org/Bookstore/default.asp?oID=0&catID=9&pID=SPE478, or by contacting GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.
Book editors of earth science journals/publications may request a review copy by contacting Jeanette Hammann, jhammann@geosociety.org.
Volcanism and Evolution of the African Lithosphere
Luigi Beccaluva, Gianluca Bianchini, and Marjorie Wilson (editors)
Geological Society of America Special Paper 478
SPE478, 331 p., $95.00; Member price $68.00
ISBN 978-0-8137-2478-2