This course is an introduction to some of the balkanized family of techniques and philosophies that reside under the umbrella of inverse theory. In this section we present the central threads that bind all of these singular items together in a harmonious whole. That's impossible of course, but what we will do is provide a point of view that, while it will break from time-to-time, is good enough to be going on with. The goal of this chapter is to introduce a real inverse problem and explore some of the issues that arise in a non-technical way. Later, we explore the resulting complications in greater depth <...>

It is not a frequent experience for a write r to receive the opportunity to revise ami update a previous work. Such is the case, however, with this revised second bilition of Introductory Mining Engineering, originally authored by Howar d L. Hurt man. Further , the planned revision took an unexpected turn when Jan M . Millmansky joined the undertaking as coauthor of the second edition. I n fact, I )i Mutmansky contributed to the original work , serving as a reviewer of the  (tillino, as reader, and as critic. He was acknowledged in the preface of the first ilit ion and thus was the logical choice as coauthor of the second edition. <...>

The first three editions of this textbook were published in 1979, 1986 and 1992, and I trust that tins new one, necessitated by so many advances both in fact and theory', will retain its function as a course text for students of palaeontology from their second year onwards. 1 have made substantial changes to Chapters 1-3,7, 8 and 12, and the Trace Fossils section has been transferred from Chapter I to die last chapter. AH the other chapters have been revised to a greater or lesser extent. 1 have redrawn about half of the illustrations: a singularly congenial occupation for long winter evenings, and l hope that these will prove of value in helping students to understand the anatomy and terminology of fossil invertebrates.

Every day we walk across its surface, admiring its variety of plants, animals, and landscapes. Earth has taken billions of years to evolve into the planet we now inhabit. This volume examines this long history, from Earth’s origins in a cloud of gas and dust to its place as a planet teeming with life. It addresses questions that scientists have long debated: