This volume, although not an integrated synthesis, treats most aspects of Holocene sedimenta- tion and diagenesis in the Persian Gulf, grouping 22 contributions under a single cover and in one language. Because these sediments and diagenetic minerals are comparable to those existing in many ancient sedimentary basins, their appraisal should be of value to the enlarging group of workers who interpret ancient sedimentary rocks. The essential morphological, climatic and oceanographic factors determining Holocene sedimen- tation and diagenesis in the Persian Gulf are summarized in the introductory article by PURSER and SEIBOLD. These environmental controls and the overall morphology of the Persian Gulf have much in common with Shark Bay, Western Australia, described by LOGAN et al. (1970). On the other hand, the Persian Gulf is markedly different from the better known Florida and Bahamian prov- inces; the floor of the Persian Gulf is gently inclined from continental shoreline to bathymetric axis (80-100 m); the Bahamian province, on the other hand, is horizontal and extremely shallow (2-10 m), with very sharply defined shelf edges surrounded by deep oceanic waters. These contrast- ing architectural styles are related to different tectonic frames.

Table of Contents:
The Principal Environmental Factors Influencing Holocene Sedimentation and Diagenesis in the Persian Gulf.- The Structural and Geomorphic Evolution of the Persian Gulf.- Organisms as Producers of Carbonate Sediment and Indicators of Environment in the Southern Persian Gulf.- Holocene Sediments and Sedimentary Processes in the Iranian Part of the Persian Gulf.- Classification of Modern Marl Sediments in the Persian Gulf by Factor Analysis.- Correspondence Analysis for Recognition of Facies in Homogeneous Sediments off an Iranian River Mouth.- Aeolian Admixtures in the Sediments of the Northern Persian Gulf.- Holocene Sediment Types and Their Distribution in the Southern Persian Gulf.- Sedimentation around Bathymetric Highs in the Southern Persian Gulf.- Carbonate Coastal Accretion in an Area of Longshore Transport, NE Qatar, Persian Gulf.- Recent Intertidal and Nearshore Carbonate Sedimentation around Rock Highs, E Qatar, Persian Gulf.- Sedimentary Accretion along the Leeward, SE Coast of Qatar Peninsula, Persian Gulf.- Regional Sedimentation along the Trucial Coast, SE Persian Gulf.- The Oceanography, Ecology, Sedimentology and Geomorphology of Parts of the Trucial Coast Barrier Island Complex, Persian Gulf.- Distribution and Ultrastructure of Holocene Ooids in the Persian Gulf.- The Precipitation of Aragonite and Its Alteration to Calcite on the Trucial Coast of the Persian Gulf.- Aragonitic, Supratidal Encrustations on the Trucial Coast, Persian Gulf.- Geochemistry of Tidal Flat Brines at Umm Said, SE Qatar, Persian Gulf.- Some Aspects of the Diagenetic History of the Sabkha in Abu Dhabi, Persian Gulf.- Progress Report on Dolomitization — Hydrology of Abu Dhabi Sabkhas, Arabian Gulf.- Strontium Geochemistry of Modern and Ancient Calcium Sulphate Minerals.-Sulphur-Isotope Geochemistry of an Arid, Supratidal Evaporite Environment, Trucial Coast.