Geotechnical and geological engineering has wide applications in military, mining, petroleum, natural geohazard and other engineering disciplines that are concerned with stability of the ground and construction occurring on the surface or within the ground. It uses principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics to investigate subsurface conditions in order to evaluate stability of natural slopes and man-made deposits, assess risks posed by site conditions, design earthworks and structure foundations, and monitor site conditions, earthwork and foundation construction. Determination of the relevant physical, chemical and mechanical properties of ground materials is the key to successfully deliver such projects. Therefore, a book containing both theory of geomaterial testing and up-to-date testing methods is much in demand to college students, academic researchers and practicing technicians and engineers for obtaining reliable and accurate test results. This book is intended primarily to serve this need and aims at the clear explanation, in adequate depth, of the fundamental principles of soil and rock tests <...>

The science of meteoritics comprises the study of meteors, meteorites and extraterrestrial dust. The study of meteors is mainly concerned with the recording and interpretation of high altitude objects that never fully penetrate our atmosphere, while the study of dust is a highly specialized branch that requires sophisticated sampling techniques for the collection and identification of the minute and controversial dust particles. The present work, on the other hand , deals mainly with the massive, tangible material. We will study the meteorite falls and finds and we will limit ourselves largely to the examination of such objects generally known as iron meteorites.

The Descriptive Part which follows contains a designation of all iron meteorites known to the author as of January 1, 1973. They are listed alphabetically according to the name adopted by Hey (1966) or other authorities. Numerous synonyms and cross references are given to help the reader find the meteorite sought. Additional names and synonyms may be found in Appendices 2, 3 and 4. A Supplement, giving information on meteorites examined after January 1,1973, will be found at the end of Volume 3.

Lithium is one of the most interesting of the industrial minerals, occurring primarily in the unusual lithium pegmatites or in the very few high-lithium brine deposits. Many of the lithium pegmatites contain separate masses of different minerals (i.e. they are highly zoned), with the crystal size often being very large, such as up to 1–14 m long. There may be as many as 13 distinct and separate massive zones of single predominant minerals in the pegmatite, including up to six different lithium mineral zones, and several zones with other rare elements such as tantalum, niobium, tin, tungsten, cesium and rubidium.