The ancients observed and collected rocks that fell from the sky. There are reports of the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Japanese, and the natives of North America and other countries collecting them, using them for trade, and putting them in places of importance such as tombs. Modern-age research on such objects opened with the pioneering work of Howard and Bournon (Fig. 1.1).

The science of rock physics addresses the relationships between geophysical observations and the underlying physical properties of rocks, such as composition, porosity, and pore fluid content. The Rock Physics Handbook distills a vast quantity of background theory and laboratory results into a series of concise, self-contained chapters, which can be quickly accessed by those seeking practical solutions to problems in geophysical data interpretation.

This book arose from a series of lectures given at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford during the Spring of 1966. The lectures were based on material compiled by the author between 1961 and 1965 and submitted in a Ph.D. dissertation to the University of California at Berkeley. At the time crystal field theory had become well established in chemical literature as a successful model for interpreting certain aspects of transition metal chemistry.

We are facing a global mineral resource crisis. In fact, we have two of them. First, Earth has a finite supply of minerals for a population that is growing faster than at any time in history
(Figure 1.1). Second, mineral consumption is growing even faster than the population. Until recently, we were deeply concerned that most minerals were used in more developed countries (MDCs) with smaller consumption in less developed countries (LDCs) (Table 1.1).

Learning about rocks can give much pleasure to anyone interested in Earth and its development. I hope that readers of this book will share my enthusiasm for examining rocks with the microscope. I planned the book to be an introductory review of the main processes responsible for the microstructures of Earth rocks. However, I soon realized that if I did that, the book would be a collection of half-truths, with little scientific value. Though many rock microstructures are understood fairly well, the interpretation of many others involves considerable controversy, and new ideas are being published all the time. So, I have felt compelled to mention problems of interpretation and to present alternative views, where appropriate. Thus, the book has evolved into (1) a basic explanation of the main processes, (2) an introduction to more complex issues of interpretation and especially to the relevant literature, and (3) an outline of modern approaches and techniques, in order to emphasize the ongoing, dynamic nature of the study of rock microstructure. Because complicated problems cannot be discussed in detail in a book of this kind, I have tried to provide a sufficient number of references to enable the reader to delve more deeply. <...>

In this chapter, we review the principles and basic tools of crystallography. A thorough understanding of crystallography is a prerequisite for anybody who wishes to learn transmission electron microscopy (ТЕМ) and its applications to solid (mostly inorganic) materials. All diffraction techniques, whether they use x-rays, neutrons, or electrons, make extensive use of the concept of reciprocal space and, as we shall see repeatedly later on in this book, ТЕМ is a unique tool for directly probing this space. Hence, it is important that the ТЕМ user become as familiar with reciprocal space as with direct or crystal space.

The fragile Antarctic environment consists of a closely linked system of the lithosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Changes in this system have influenced global climate, oceanography and sea level for most of Cenozoic time. The geological history of this region therefore provides a special record of important interactions between the various components of the Earth System.

Seismic hazard and risk analyses underpin the loadings prescribed by engineering design codes, the decisions by asset owners to retrofit structures, the pricing of insurance policies, and many other activities This is a comprehensive overview of the principles and procedures behind seismic hazard and risk analysis. It enables readers to understand best practises and future research directions.

A quantitative introduction to the Solar System and planetary systems science for advanced undergraduate students, this engaging new textbook explains the wide variety of physical, chemical and geological processes that govern the motions and properties of planets.