Soils are a valuable resource and a critical component in many of the environmental and economic issues facing society today. Understanding soil properties and soil behaviour and interpreting soil data are especially relevant for many environmental and land management issues facing the community. These issues include urban development, control of salinity, clearing of native vegetation, prevention of land degradation, control of water and wind erosion, irrigation development, the management of effluent disposal, contamination and the management of acid sulfate soils.

During the past century, scientists, world statesmen, and international entrepreneurs have become increasingly aware of the potential of the oceans as a source for minerals. This book provides an authoritative picture of the currentstate of marine mineral extraction. A major work of reference, it will be essential reading both for those engaged in maritime studies and for professional organizations involved in the extraction of underwater minerals.

In 2014, China has continued the implementation of National Exploration and Development Planning and achieved outstanding progress in geological prospecting, and it is the reserves & resources of major mineral resources that increased obviously. There is a sustainable growth in the production and import of major mineral products as well as a further improvement in the supplying capacity. Efforts have been made to promote the survey and evaluation of geology and mineral resources, and better social services. To facilitate the construction of ecological civilization, China has paid more attention to enhance the environmental recovery of mines, and over 25% of the land damaged by mining development has been reclaimed.

Why did we write a book on the economics of mineral resources? As economists, we would be tempted to say that the absence of a French title on the subject was the motivation for the very existence of the original French edition of this book. Nevertheless, this answer might seem rather sketchy, since there are so many reasons for the creation of this collective work.

The U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop a program plan for its mineral-resource activities. In 1995, the USGS completed the Mineral Resource Surveys Program (MRSP) plan requested by Congress (Appendix A). To obtain an independent review of the five-year MRSP plan, the U.S. Geological Survey, in a letter from Dr. Willis H. White, the Chief of the USGS Office of Mineral Resources, requested in July, 1995, that the National Research Council (NRC) evaluate the MRSP plan and recommend improvements.

Mineral exploration and mining
Russian developments of equipment and technology of deep hole drilling in ice V. Litvinenko
InnoCrush: New solutions for highly selective process chains B. Grafe, A.H. Bravo, M. Hesse, R. Morgenstern, K. Rosin, T. Schlothauer, I.V. Talovina & V.S. Nikiforova
The forecast deformations of the ground surface during mining under protected objects A.D. Kuranov, B.Yu. Zuev & R.S. Istomin
Innovative rock destruction process via laser technology and thermal spallation for faster and efficient drilling in mining, geothermal and other hard rock environments S. Jamali, V. Wittig & R. Bracke
High pressure jetting in various rocks—investigation of failure mechanism and development of drilling process D.P. Gradzki, S. Hahn, S. Jasper, V. Wittig, R. Lindken & R. Bracke

Nickel, copper, and cobalt resources in undiscovered Ni-Cu deposits associated with Palaeoproterozoic synorogenic intrusions and Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic komatiitic volcanic rocks have been estimated down to the depth of one kilometre in the bedrock of Finland using the three-part quantitative assessment method. Grade-tonnage models were constructed for Finnish synorogenic intrusive deposits and komatiitic deposits using data from known Fennoscandian deposits. Twenty-six permissive tracts were delineated for synorogenic intrusive deposits, 30 for komatiitic deposits, and 15 for Talvivaaratype Ni-Zn-Cu-Co deposits.

This volume discusses the mineral resources upon which modern civilization is built. Take away these minerals and humanity will rapidly return to the stone age, with its greatest concern the depletion of flint (also a mineral). It would, of course, result in about a 99% reduction in population. In other words, approximately 99% of the worlds' population is dependent on minerals for its existence.

Minerals, both metallic and nonmetallic, and building stones have played key role in shaping human civilization since ancient times. Demand for and production of these earth resources increased manifold during the Industrial Revolution and both have seen an exponential growth during the last century, keeping pace with growing national and global economies. Ever-widening base of mineral use has made minerals an integral part of our everyday life.

The Apuan Alps are commonly defined by geologists with the term “tectonic window”, an area where geological processes have brought to the surface rocks that usually lie buried deep under other rock formations. The Apuan Metamorphic Complex is today divided into two tectonic units: the Apuan Unit and the Massa Unit to which belong the mineral deposits object of this study <...>