Report on the second SEPM research conference: 'Stable isotopes in sedimentary geology'.

The second SEPM research conference was held at Vail, Colorado, August 23-27, 1981. The main emphasis of the meeting was on the application of stable isotopes to interpretation of the palaeochemical history of sea-water, using stable isotopes as tracers of chemical cycles, of depositional environments (such as salinity and T), and of the nature and sequence of diagenetic events in sedimentary rocks. A programme of 24 'keynote' talks was organized, around which informal discussions revolved. This report gives a brief summary of the subjects covered and the general conclusions reached. No volume of papers from the conference will be published. -H.R.B.