Geology and Resource Potential of the Congo Basin

Geology and Resource Potential of the Congo Basin
Author: Maarten J. de Wit
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2015-01-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642294820

This book summarizes the geomorphology, geology, geochronology, geophysics and mineral resources of the Congo Basin, one of the world’s most enigmatic and poorly understood major intra-continental sedimentary basins, and its flanking areas of Central Africa. It provides an up to date analysis of the large region’s origin and evolution. The book’s nineteen chapters take the reader through the entire basement history, as well as the Basin’s ca. 700 million years of cover sequences. Starting from its Archean cratons and Proterozoic mobile belts, and proceeding through the Phanerozoic sequences, including the most recent Cenozoic successions, the book also explores the present drainage systems and the subtle but complex topography of the Congo Basin. It also presents and evaluates new basin models and related dynamic processes, as well as revised correlation schemes with its Gondwana counterparts in South America, all of which provide key insights into its rich diamond deposits and other mineral wealth, which are documented in the final chapters. A specific feature of this book is its synthesis, performed by teams of active experts, of a vast amount of geoscientific data previously only recorded in research reports, company reports, survey bulletins, and scattered journal articles and books. The sheer size of the Congo Basin (ca.1.8 million km2, or just under half the area of the EU) and Central Africa (some 7 million km2, or more than 70% of the area of the USA) will make this a sought-after source of information and inspiration on this unique region.

Deforestation Trends in the Congo Basin

Deforestation Trends in the Congo Basin
Author: Carole Megevand
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2013-01-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0821397427

"This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank."

The History of Congo

The History of Congo
Author: Didier Gondola
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2002-12-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0313011281

This book begins with a survey of Congo's early history, when diverse peoples such as the Luba, the Kuba, and the Nilotic inhabited the area, and continues by tracing the country's history through the Belgian period of colonization and the dictatorships of Mobutu and Kabila. Biographical portraits present important figures in Congo's storied history. An annotated bibliography and chronology help make this the most current and accessible introduction to this fascinating, complex, and long-suffering nation. The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, is located at the center of Africa. The country encompasses the entire Congo River Basin, the potential source of 13% of the world's hydroelectric power. The Congo River Basin also contains one-third of Africa's rainforests, countless species of trees, and more then 10,000 species of flowering plants. Congo contains extremely valuable deposits of diamonds and coltan, a metal used in high-tech machinery. Because of this abundance of natural resources, Congo has unfortunately been the site of colonial domination, repressive dictatorships, and internecine violence between rebel groups and neighboring countries.

Mineral Deposits and Earth Evolution

Mineral Deposits and Earth Evolution
Author: Geological Society of London
Publisher: Geological Society of London
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2005
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781862391826

Mineral deposits are not only primary sources of wealth generation, but also act as windows through which to view the evolution and interrelationships of the Earth system. Deposits formed throughout the last 3.8 billion years of the Earth's history preserve key evidence with which to test fundamental questions about the evolution of the Earth. These include: the nature of early magmatic and tectonic processes, supercontinent reconstructions, the state of the atmosphere and hydrosphere with time, and the emergence and development of life. The interlinking processes that form mineral deposits have always sat at the heart of the Earth system and the potential for using deposits as tools to understand that evolving system over geological time is increasingly recognized. This volume contains research aimed both at understanding the origins of mineral deposits and at using mineral deposits as tools to explore different long-term Earth processes.

The Wetland Book

The Wetland Book
Author: C. Max Finlayson
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-06-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9789400740006

The Wetland Book is a comprehensive resource aimed at supporting the trans- and multidisciplinary research and practice which is inherent to this field. Aware both that wetlands research is on the rise and that researchers and students are often working or learning across several disciplines, The Wetland Book is a readily accessible online and print reference which will be the first port of call on key concepts in wetlands science and management. This easy-to-follow reference will allow multidisciplinary teams and transdisciplinary individuals to look up terms, access further details, read overviews on key issues and navigate to key articles selected by experts.

Earth Observation for Land and Emergency Monitoring

Earth Observation for Land and Emergency Monitoring
Author: Heiko Balzter
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2017-05-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 111879379X

Earth Observation Science (EOS) is the study of the global Earth land-ocean-atmosphere system through observations. The principal tools for such studies are measurements from space since these provide the coverage of the planet that is necessary to capture the behaviour of the entire coupled system. In addition, surface observations, and measurements from aircraft, balloons and sounding rockets provide valuable contributors to what are now termed "integrated, global observing systems.” Coupled with models, the EOS measurement suites provide powerful tools for research into the factors controlling and changing the Earth system in which we live. The objectives of this book are to describe new methods and applications of satellite technology in the fields of land and emergency monitoring. It draws on new research outcomes from the European FP7 project GIONET (European Centre of Excellence in Earth Observation Research Training). GIONET combines industrial partners with universities and research institutes, and this book provides a perspective on Earth Observation applications that is motivated by the cross-fertilisation of both sectors. Hence, this book will find readers in both industry and academia. This book highlights a broad range of innovative uses of Earth Observation technology to support environmental management, decision making, crisis management and climate policies. It uses advanced concepts of multi-sensor image integration, multi-temporal analysis and synergies between data and models. This is a truly interdisciplinary subject that encompasses a range of applications in various fields which are discussed in detail throughout the text. If you are interested in remote sensing applications and looking for inspiration, this is the book for you.

Paths in the Rainforests

Paths in the Rainforests
Author: Jan M. Vansina
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Pres
Total Pages: 450
Release: 1990-10-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 0299125734

Vansina’s scope is breathtaking: he reconstructs the history of the forest lands that cover all or part of southern Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Congo, Zaire, the Central African Republic, and Cabinda in Angola, discussing the original settlement of the forest by the western Bantu; the periods of expansion and innovation in agriculture; the development of metallurgy; the rise and fall of political forms and of power; the coming of Atlantic trade and colonialism; and the conquest of the rainforests by colonial powers and the destruction of a way of life. “In 400 elegantly brilliant pages Vansina lays out five millennia of history for nearly 200 distinguishable regions of the forest of equatorial Africa around a new, subtly paradoxical interpretation of ‘tradition.’” —Joseph Miller, University of Virginia “Vansina gives extended coverage . . . to the broad features of culture and the major lines of historical development across the region between 3000 B.C. and A.D. 1000. It is truly an outstanding effort, readable, subtle, and integrative in its interpretations, and comprehensive in scope. . . . It is a seminal study . . . but it is also a substantive history that will long retain its usefulness.”—Christopher Ehret, American Historical Review