Groundwater is one of the most important renewable resources of the Earth and it occurs in many sites. Water in the form of rainfall and river or stream water penetrates the ground and moves through the pores of soils, rocks, and rock fractures and joints which are permeable enough to transmit water through them.

Science is only worth doing if it is interesting and fun. Hence the goal of a textbook is to interest students in a subject, convince them it is worth the effort required to learn about it, and help them do so. We have tried here to do all three.
For seismology, these should be easy. It is hard to imagine topics more interesting than the structure and evolution of a planet, as manifested by phenomena as dramatic as earthquakes.

Morphology

Diatoms are microscopic unicellular algae. Whatever the shape or size of the cell, it consists of the same basic parts: the nucleus, cytoplasm, plasma membrane, and the cell wall.

1.1. Structure of the Cell Wall

Emphasis in this Introduction is placed on the structure of the diatom cell wall, as opposed to the living contents, as, in the main, interest in diatom study is directed toward the structure and microstructure of the cell wall. Classification of diatoms and their identification pertinent to many areas of investigation is based on the structure of, and markings on the cell wall as revealed by the light microscope (LM). It is therefore imperative that the student of diatoms possesses a good basic knowledge of that structure and the terminology associated with it. <...>

The purpose of this book is to present a broad overview of mineralogy. Although usually associated with geology, mineralogy is really a stand-alone discipline in its own right that weaves itself into such diverse fields as art, chemistry, forensic and soil science, wine production, and health-related issues, to name only a few. While this book is geared toward mineralogy and its apply in geology, it will also address mineralogy as a discipline in itself, and show you how it relates to the other sciences, art, and everyday life.

Written primarily for chemists, physicists, engineers, and students in technical colleges and universities, this book provides a first introduction to general information on mineralogy and its own properties in soils. The other properties of minerals are also presented, in the latter chapters.

This book is a product of many authors and their rich experience in researching and teaching mineralogy; in writing it, it was assumed that the reader will have a reasonable knowledge of the nature of minerals.