All manuscripts should be submitted online through Elsevier Editorial System (EES), which can be accessed at http://ees.elsevier.com/crst

Submission of an article is understood to imply that the article is original and unpublished and is not being considered for publication elsewhere

General instructions

1. Manuscripts should be structured in a way that conforms to that of the journal.

2. Manuscripts must be written in English. Authors whose native language is not English are recommended to seek the advice of a colleague who has English as his mother-tongue before submitting their manuscript. Manuscripts written in correct English require less time for review and publication.

Language Polishing:
For authors who require information about language editing and copyediting services pre- and post-submission please visit http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/languagepolishing or contact authorsupport@elsevier.com for more information. Please note Elsevier neither endorses nor takes responsibility for any products, goods or services offered by outside vendors through our services or in any advertising. For more information please refer to our Terms and Conditions http://www.elsevier.com/termsandconditions.

3. Authors should use IUGS terminology and S.I. units.

4. The manuscript should be prepared on a word processor and printed with double spacing and wide margins. The various headings should be clearly differentiated, and first and second order headings should be numbered.

5. The entire manuscript should be paginated. However, in the text no reference should be made to page numbers; if necessary, you may refer to section numbers.

6. Manuscripts should generally be organized in the following order:

a. Title

b. Name(s) of the author(s) and their affiliations and fax number and e-mail address. Fax numbers and e-mail address should be placed as footnotes. In the case of more than one author please indicate to whom the correspondence should be addressed.

c. Abstract

d. Keywords

e. Introduction

f. Area descriptions, methods and material studied

g. Results and analyses

h. Discussion and conclusions

i. Acknowledgements

j. Appendices

k. References

l. Tables

m. Figure captions

n. Figures

Elsevier reserves the right of returning to the author for revision accepted manuscripts and illustrations which are not in the form given in this guide.

Keywords

Authors must provide 4 to 6 keywords. These must be taken from the most recent American Geological Institute GeoRef Thesaurus and should be placed beneath the abstract.

Abstract

The abstract should be a concise summary of the paper stating the methods used, the main results and the conclusions in a way that does not require reference to the body of the paper or to the bibliographic references; it should not be longer than 500 words.

References

1. All references cited in the text are to be listed at the end of the paper. The manuscript should be carefully checked to ensure that the spellings of authors' names and publication years are exactly the same in the text as in the reference list. Do not type author's and editor's names in capitals.

2. In the text refer to the author's name (without initials) and year of publication, followed – if necessary – by a short reference to appropriate pages. Examples: ``Because Peterson (1994) has shown that...''. ``This is in agreement with results obtained later (Kramer, 1995, pp. 12–16)''.

3. If reference is made in the text to publications written by more than two authors the name of the first author should be used, followed by ``et al.''. This indication, however, should never be used in the list of references. In this list names of authors and all co-authors must be given in full.

4. References in the text should be arranged chronologically. The list of references should be arranged alphabetically by authors' names, and chronologically per author. If an author's name in the list is also mentioned with co-authors, the following order should be used: Publications of the single author, arranged according to publication year – publications of the same author with one co-author, arranged according to publication year – publications of the author with more than one co-author, arranged according to publication year.

The following system should be used for arranging references:

a. Journal papers: Names and initials of all authors, year. Title of paper. Journal name (given in full or abbreviated using the International List of Periodical Title Word Abbreviations), volume number (issue number): first and last page numbers of the paper.

Example:

Elbaz-Poulichet, F., Guan, D.M. and Martin, J.M., 1991. Trace metal behaviour in a highly stratified Mediterranean estuary: the Krka (Yugoslavia). Mar. Chem., 32: 211–224.

b. Monographs: Names and initials of all authors, year. Title of the monograph. Publisher, location of publisher.

Example:

Zhdanov, M.S. and Keller, G.V., 1994. The Geoelectrical Methods in Geophysical Exploration. Elsevier, Amsterdam.

c. Edited volume papers: Names and initials of all authors, year. Title of paper. Names and initials of the volume editors, title of the edited volume. Publisher, location of publisher, first and last page numbers of the paper.

Example:

Thomas, E., 1992. Middle Eocene–late Oligocene bathyal benthic foraminifera (Weddell Sea): faunal changes and implications for ocean circulation. In: D.R. Prothero and W.A. Berggren (Editors), Eocene–Oligocene Climatic and Biotic Evolution. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ, pp. 245–271.

d. Conference proceedings papers: Names and initials of all authors, year. Title of paper. Name of the conference. Publisher, location of publisher, first and last page numbers of the paper.

Example:

Smith, M.W., 1988. The significance of climatic change for the permafrost environment. Final Proc. Int. Conf. Permafrost. Tapir, Trondheim, Norway, pp. 18–23.

e. Unpublished theses, reports, etc.: Names and initials of all authors, year. Title of item. All other relevant information needed to identify the item (e.g., technical report, Ph.D. thesis, institute, etc.).

Example:

Moustakas, N., 1990. Relationships of morphological and physicochemical properties of Vertisols under Greek climate conditions. Ph.D. Thesis, Agricultural Univ. Athens, Greece.

5. In the case of publications in any language other than English, the original title is to be retained. Titles of publications in non-Latin alphabets should be transliterated, and a note such as `(in Russian)' or `(in Japanese, with English Abstr.)' should be added at the end of the reference.

Illustrations


General points

• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
• Save text in illustrations as "graphics" or enclose the font.
• Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Times, Symbol.
• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
• Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files.
• Provide all illustrations as separate files and as hardcopy printouts on separate sheets.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately.
• Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.

A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available on our website: http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions

You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.

Formats
Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalised, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following formats (Note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below.):

EPS: Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
TIFF: Colour or greyscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.
TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (colour or greyscale): a minimum of 500 dpi is required.
DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications please supply "as is".

Please do not:

• Supply embedded graphics in your wordprocessor (spreadsheet, presentation) document;
• Supply files that are optimised for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); the resolution is too low;
• Supply files that are too low in resolution;
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

Captions

Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

Line drawings

The lettering and symbols, as well as other details, should have proportionate dimensions, so as not to become illegible or unclear after possible reduction; in general, the figures should be designed for a reduction factor of two to three. The degree of reduction will be determined by the Publisher. Illustrations will not be enlarged. Consider the page format of the journal when designing the illustrations.

Do not use any type of shading on computer-generated illustrations.

Photographs (halftones)

Remove non-essential areas of a photograph. Do not mount photographs unless they form part of a composite figure. Where necessary, insert a scale bar in the illustration (not below it), as opposed to giving a magnification factor in the caption.

Colour illustrations

Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable colour figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in colour on the Web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference for colour in print or on the Web only. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.

Please note: Because of technical complications which can arise by converting colour figures to "grey scale" (for the printed version should you not opt for colour in print) please submit in addition usable black and white versions of all the colour illustrations.

Tables


1. Authors should take note of the limitations set by the size and layout of the journal. A table should not exceed the printed area of the page. If this appears impossible, reversing columns and rows will often make the impossible possible.

2. Large tables should be avoided. Foldouts can only be accepted in exceptional cases. If many data are to be presented, an attempt should be made to divide these over two or more tables.

3. Tables should be compiled on separate sheets and must be numbered according to their sequence in the text. The text must include references to all tables.

4. Each table must have a brief and self-explanatory title. Column headings should be brief, but sufficiently explanatory. Units of measurement should be given in parentheses. Vertical lines must not be used to separate columns - leave extra space between the columns instead.

5. Explanations that are necessary to the understanding of the table should be given as footnotes at the bottom of the table. A footnote should be indicated by a lower-case letter.

Formulae

1. All formulae should be presented consistently and clearly with regard to the meaning of each symbol and its correct location. Formulae must be typed throughout.

2. All unusual symbols must be collected in a separate list in the appendix, giving a clear explanation of each symbol.

3. Please try to keep the notation as simple as possible, and avoid ambiguities. Do not use special typefonts if there is no urgent need to do so.

4. Different formulae should be clearly separated in the manuscript, at least by punctuation marks, if not by words. Avoid breaking formulae if breaking is not strictly necessary (i.e., if the equation is less than one typed line). Never let a sentence consist of formulae alone (i.e., without any connection with the preceding text).

5. Do not use complicated juxtapositions of symbols. Also, try to avoid complicated subscripts and superscripts; third-order indices especially present difficulties as to their size and position, and fourth-order indices are not acceptable.

6. The manuscript must show a clear distinction between similar symbols, (e.g., between zero (0) and the letter O, between one (1) and the letter l, and between multiplication (×) and the letter x).

7. Important formulae (e.g. definitions) must be displayed. All formulae which are to be referred to later on must be displayed and numbered consecutively throughout the paper; the number should appear on the right-hand side of the page.

8. In chemical formulae the valence of ions must be given as, for example, Ca²⁺ and CO₃ ² rather than as Ca⁺⁺ and CO₃ ^--.

9. Isotope numbers should precede the symbols (e.g., ¹⁸O).

Footnotes

1. Footnotes should only be used if absolutely essential. In most cases it will be possible to incorporate them in the main text.

2. If used, footnotes should be numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript, indicated by superscript Arabic numbers, and kept as short as possible.

Page proofs

One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding Author (if we do not have an e-mail address then paper proofs will be sent by post). Elsevier now sends PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download Adobe Reader version 7 available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Instructions on how to annotate PDF files will accompany the proofs.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the corrections (including replies to the Query Form) and return to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line number. If, for any reason, this is not possible, then mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of your proof and return by fax, or scan the pages and e-mail, or by post.
Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility. Note that Elsevier may proceed with the publication of your article if no response is received.

Copyright

1. Upon acceptance of an article by the journal, the author(s) will be asked to transfer the copyright of the article to the publisher. This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information.

2. The author is responsible for obtaining permission to use any copyrighted material:

a. When quoting from someone else's work or when considering reproducing an illustration or table from a book or journal article, the author should ensure that he is not infringing copyright.

b. Although in general an author may quote from other published works, he should obtain permission from the copyright holder if he wishes to use substantial excerpts or to reproduce tables, plates, or other illustrations. If the copyright holder is not the author of the quoted or reproduced material, it is recommended that the permission of the author in question is also sought.

c. Material in unpublished letters and manuscripts is also protected and must not be published unless permission has been obtained.

d. A suitable acknowledgement of any borrowed material must always be made.

3. Company clearance, if applicable, should be acquired prior to submission.

4. Submission of a paper for review is interpreted as a statement that the permission to reproduce and company clearance, if applicable, have been acquired.

5. The manuscript of a paper intended for publication in the journal may be reproduced and used elsewhere by the author, with the understanding that no use will be made of the material for commercial purposes.

6. Once the paper has been prepared in publication format by the publisher, the permission of the publisher is required for any use of the paper.

Reprints

The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail or, alternatively, 25 free paper offprints. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use.

Author's Discount

There is a 30% discount on all Elsevier book publications. An order form will be sent together with the proofs.

Author Services
Authors can keep a track on their accepted article, and set up e-mail alerts informing them of changes to their manuscript's status, by using the 'Track a Paper' feature in Elsevier's Author Gateway.

Submission Checklist
It is hoped that this list will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to submitting it for review. Please consult the Guide for Authors for further details of any item.
Ensure that the following items are present:
One Author designated as corresponding Author:

• E-mail address
• Full postal address
• Telephone and fax numbers
• All necessary files have been uploaded
• Keywords
• All figure captions
• All tables (including title, description, footnotes)

Further considerations

• Manuscript has been "spellchecked"
• References are in the correct format for this journal
• All references mentioned in the Reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa
• Colour figures are clearly marked as being intended for colour reproduction on the Web (free of charge) and in print or to be reproduced in colour on the Web (free of charge) and in black-and-white in print
• If only colour on the Web is required, black and white versions of the figures are also supplied for printing purposes

For any further information please contact the Author Support Department at authorsupport@elsevier.com