This book concerns the common atoms of our natural world. How many of each element exist, and why? What variations are found in the relative numbers of the isotopes of each element, and how are those variations interpreted? If I could write an epic poem, I would lyricize over the history of the universe writ small by their natural abundances. I would rhapsodize over the puzzling arrangements at different times and places of the thousand or so different isotopes of some ninety chemical elements. These different arrangements speak of distant past events. <...>

Will a reservoir produce hydrocarbons? This is a particularly troublesome question in carbonates because, frequently, the answer is anything but straightforward.
Despite the best geology put together from carefully crafted depositional and seismic models, only after a well is drilled into a carbonate reservoir, can a geologist decide whether or not the well will give up commercial quantities of hydrocarbons or, indeed, any hydrocarbons at all.

Mining safety can be a complicated task, even for experienced safety professionals. The majority of safety professionals receive their training and experience based on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and guidelines. Due to the ever‑increasing shortage of qualified safety professionals, Mine Operators and Human Resource Directors are reaching out to non‑mining safety professionals. As new safety professionals, including those with mining experience, enter their first Safety Manager or Coordinator position, they can quickly become overwhelmed or confused with the massive amounts of records that are required to be maintained or the various interpretations of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and regulations.

According to the on-line Britannica Encyclopaedia, hydrography is: “The art and science of compiling and producing charts, or maps, of water-covered areas of the Earth’s surface”. The latter is correct but incomplete as hydrography as perceived by the industry also includes amongst others charting of the water column parameters, geology of the seabed sediments and positioning issues. A more official definition is given by the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) <...>