Preferring to leave history to the historians of science, we will not present here a historical survey, but rather will only cite some examples of priorities during the course of the book. We will just note that separating geophysical fluid dynamics from general fluid dynamics was a risky step to take, since it could well have cut the field off from general science by creating a specialized jargon that was incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Pseudosciences can thrive and flourish on such soil over an area which is vast but which fails to reach any heights. This has occurred, for instance, in meteorology (here we do not include atmospheric physics), in which interest in astrological techniques for weather forecasting periodically rears its head (even now unverifiable forecasting methods 'for the season' are still used), in the agricultural sciences, in pedagogy, etc. However, things are quite different if, in an important sphere of knowledge, there is a solid nugget of seriousness, requiring a special study of the material and the creation of new concepts (the creation of new concepts goes deeper than just the recognition of patterns; it is the very basis of scientific creativity, distinguishing the investigator from the computers of the foreseeable future), and if, basing itself on these concepts, the new science contacts and interacts with other branches of knowledge and becomes generally used. <...>

Numerous articles and a few books have been written about sampling of particulate materials before this third edition. Then, why select Pierre Gy’s theory, Visman and Ingamells’s works? As a Pierre Gy’s Gold Medalist I want to bring my knowledge and experience on the Theory of Sampling (TOS) and contribute to making sure TOS grows in a rational way, in spite of its many detractors. Looking at comments made around the world, it is clear that many statisticians and empiricists promoting “Measurement of Uncertainty” (MU) strongly believe that TOS is something they can live without. Such antagonism is misplaced, unjustified and very unfair. I also strongly believe the MU promoters, who most of the time, are more comfortable with J. Visman’s work, need TOS, and vice versa. In this third edition of my book a special effort is made to integrate J. Visman and C. O. Ingamells’s works into the TOS and create a unified foundation that may help to create better sampling standards. <...>

Thermodynamics has played a major role in improving our understanding of natural processes and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future. In fact, a course in thermodynamics has now become a part of Geosciences curriculum in many Institutions despite the fact that a formal thermodynamics course is taught in every other department of physical sciences, and also in departments of Chemical Engineering, Materials Sciences, and Biological Sciences. The reason thermodynamics is taught in a variety of departments, probably more so than any other subject, is that its principles have wide ranging applications but the teaching of thermodynamics also needs special focus depending on the problems in a particular field. <...>

The geometry and distribution of the clastic dv s.es of the Ono district. North Sacramento Valley are examined within stream sections. Five traverses along dry stream beds provide good exposure allowing the spacing, thickness and geometry of the dykes to be reorded. The spatial and thickness distribution of the dykes are considered using cumulative frequency plots, allowing a visual estimation of a best lit distribution. Dyke thickness conforms best to a log-normal distribution. There is also a characteristic minimum dyke thickness in a traverse and this is attributed lo the minimum aperture thai a fluid with sand clasts is able to exploit. Dyke spacing, however, shows a good correlation with a power-law distribution for four traverses, suggesting thai there is a mechanistic control on the spatial dislribulion. Plolting dyke thickness against minimum dyke spacing reveals that thin dykes do not generally intrude in isolation. I'nlike veins and igneous dykes, elastic dykes continue lo provide preferential pathways for fluid flow, subsequent lo their intrusion, thus inhibiting intrusion in the area surrounding a pre-existing dyke. Acombination of this process and dyke branching provides the best model for the observed spatial and thickness distribution of clastic dykes seen in the Ono district. California.