Darwin’s tangled bank is the biosphere in poetic microcosm, and the “damp earth” he refers to is soil. Soil is arguably the most complex of all geological materials, a combination of mineral and organic constituents in solid, aqueous and gaseous forms, organized into a loose, porous, horizonated, plant-bearing material, that is constantly changing. It forms as a result of a complex series of interactions and feedbacks between lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and, biosphere. As the natural geological cover of most of the land surface of the earth, it is the focus of this encyclopedia.

This book outlines the scientific, methodological, and practical foundations for the application of the HRS-Geo technology, the purpose of which is to build detailed 2D and 3D seismoacoustic models in the form of effective acoustic impedance (AI), reflection coefficients (RC), and the most important geological indicators for prospecting and industrial exploration of real geological environment. Particular attention is paid to improving the process of searching for the AI and RC model using the vector of objective functions, for which various types of residuals between real and model data are iteratively calculated. Such residuals are estimated from he energy (amplitudes) and the shape of the seismic signal.

“Because it’s there.” That was George Mallory's answer to the question why he wanted to climb the highest mountain in the world (Fig. 1.1). The Everest pioneer had an accident a few hundred metres below the summit during his third expedition in 1924. Even though he did not conquer the summit, his legendary saying made him immortal. Since time immemorial, mountains have fascinated people: large and mighty, visible from afar and yet unapproachable (Figs. 1.2 and 1.3), another world in front of which one feels small and insignificant and yet close to heaven.

Time-Variable Volcano Gravimetry
Daniele Carbone 
Monitoring Volcanoes Deformation Based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Data
V. Pinel and F. Albino
Detection and Location of Volcano-Tectonic Earthquakes
Guoqing Lin 
Monitoring LP and VLP Seismicity

Since the mid-nineteenth century, geologists and paleontologists have recognized the scientific importance and unique nature of the richly fossiliferous sediments exposed along the Tjörnes Peninsula in Northern Iceland. In the following century and a half, Tjörnes has attracted the attention of an international “who’s who” in Cenozoic paleontology, as well as many paleoclimatologists unraveling the complex climatic history of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

Despite Ghana’s rich history and significant contributions to the global gold mining industry, there is a notable absence of comprehensive literature specifically addressing the geology and gold mineralization of the country. This gap in academic and practical resources hinders the ability of geologists, mining professionals, and students to fully understand and leverage the unique geological characteristics that make Ghana a leading gold producer. A dedicated book on this subject would not only fill this critical knowledge void but also support the advancement of local and international mining practices, foster educational growth, and promote sustainable development within the sector.

Brief Note on the Geology and Tectonics of the Egyptian Nubian Shield
Zakaria Hamimi, Yasser Abd El-Rahman, and Harald Fritz Gold Deposit Types and Settings Richard J. Goldfarb
African Gold-Connecting North and South: Comparison Between Gold Deposits and Industry in Egypt and South Africa François Durand
Ancient Gold Mining in Egypt Rosemarie Klemm
Geographical Review of the Ancient Egyptian Turin Papyrus Map (1150 B.C) – World’s First Geologic Map Atef Moatamed A. Mohamed
An Overview for Gold Mineralization in the Egyptian Segment of the Northern Continuation of the East African Orogen Mohamed Abd El Monsef

Viscosity is one of the important material properties of the Earth, controlling tectonic and dynamic processes such as mantle convection, isostasy, and glacial rebound. Yet it remains a poorly resolved parameter and basic questions such as whether the planet's response to loading is linear or non-linear, or what are its depth and lateral variations remain uncertain.

The stratigraphic record is the major repository of information about the geological history of Earth, a record stretching back for nearly 4 billion years. Stratigraphic studies fill out our planet’s plate-tectonic history with the details of paleogeography, past climates and the record of evolution, and stratigraphy is at the heart of the effort to find and exploit fossil fuel resources.

Landforms and landscapes vary enormously across the Earth, from high mountains to endless plains. At a smaller scale, nature often surprises us creating shapes which look improbable. Many physical landscapes are so immensely beautiful that they receive the highest possible recognition—they hold the status of World Heritage Sites. Apart from often being immensely scenic, landscapes tell stories which not uncommonly can be traced back in time for tens of million years and include unique geological events such as meteorite impacts.