John Bridge was awarded a Ph.D. from St Andrews University, Scotland, in 1973. He now holds the position of Professor of Geological Sciences at the State University of New York at Binghamton where his research interests focus on fluvial sedimentology, turbulent water flow and sediment transport. Professor Bridge has served on the editorial boards of several sedimentology journals and he is also the author/editor of two other books.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Definitions, rationale and scope of the book; 2. Overview of the Earth; Part II. Production of Sediment at the Earth's Surface: 3. Weathering of rocks, production of terrigenous sediment, and soils; 4. Biogenic and chemogenic sediment production; Part III. Fundamentals of Fluid Flow, Sediment Transport, Erosion and Deposition: 5. Unidirectional turbulent water flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition; 6. Air flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition; 7. Multidirectional water flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition; 8. Movement of sediment by gravity; 9. Generation and movement of volcaniclastic sediment; 10. Ice flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition; 11. Biogenic and chemogenic depositional structures; 12. Post-depositional deformation of soft sediment; Part IV. Environments of Erosion and Deposition: 13. Rivers, alluvial plains and fans; 14. Lakes; 15. Coasts and shallow seas; 16. Arid environments; 17. Glacial and periglacial environments; 18. Deep seas and oceans; Part V. Sediment into Rock: Diagenesis: 19. Diagenesis; Part VI. Long-term, Large-Scale Processes: Mountains and Sedimentary Basins: 20. Tectonic, climatic and eustatic controls on long-term, large-scale erosion and deposition; References; Index.