Earthquakes pose a significant threat to countries around the world. But, equipped with the right knowledge and tools, engineers and seismologists can support policy and decision-makers in creating a safer future for all of us. The Third European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (3ECEES), jointly organized by Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest (UTCB) and National Institute for Earth Physics (INFP) in Bucharest, Romania,

Volcanic eruptions have been one of the most fundamental influences on the Earth’s evolution throughout its 4.54 Ga history. Volcanic eruptions formed the Earth’s crust, were the source for the atmosphere and oceans and are arguably the basis for life on Earth. Huge eruptions have almost certainly caused climate change and influenced mass extinction events.

The Mw 7.1 (Mj 7.3) Kumamoto earthquake occurred on April 16, 2016, resulting in more than 100 deaths and extensive damage on Kyushu Island in southwestern Japan. In order to determine the motion of the seismogenic fault, ground deformation, and relationships between coseismic surface ruptures and pre-existing faults, our survey group conducted fieldworks immediately, beginning one day after the main shock.

The primary objective of this paper is to present a semiautomatic procedure that, integrated with traditional methods, can be useful for a rapid definition of rock fall susceptibility scenarios with the purpose of civil protection. Due to its morphology (steep slopes and narrow valleys), regional seismicity, and rock mass characteristics, the Nera Valley (Valnerina, Umbria Region, Italy) is characterized by high rock fall risk. With the aim of covering a wide range of features and investigating the main advantages and drawbacks of the proposed approach, data collection (terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and geomechanical surveys) was carried out at three different slopes. Detailed threedimensional (3D) models were created to reconstruct the shape and volume of the most unstable blocks, to define the position of the main rock fall source areas, and to precisely distinguish the outcropping materials and the position of the elements at risk for reliable runout analyses. The proposed approach can be useful in supporting proper maintenance and land management programs both in ordinary and in emergency circumstances. <...>

The giant outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (Figure 1.1)—are by far the largest planetary bodies in the solar system and together comprise 99.56% of the planetary mass. Although very far from the Earth, the enormous physical size of Jupiter and Saturn meant that these planets were easily visible to the ancients. However, the other two “giants”, Uranus and Neptune, are significantly smaller and so much farther from the Earth that they were unknown before the advent of telescopes, although Uranus is in fact just visible to the naked eye. Uranus was discovered by accident in 1781 by William Herschel (1738-1822) (later Sir William Herschel). Perturbations in the observed orbit of Uranus led John Couch Adams (1819-1892) and Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877) to independently predict the presence of a further planet, and Neptune was subsequently discovered close to its predicted position by Johann Gottfried Galle (1812-1910) in 1846. The mean observable properties of the outer planets are listed in Table 1.1. <...>

This book is a survey of techniques used in archaeological geology or as it is more widely known, today—geoarchaeology. It is less a discussion of theory or methodology with regard to the various geological techniques that are presented. It is not an exhaustive presentation of the diversity of earth science methods that can be utilized in the service of archaeology. Earth science can be used in many ways in archaeology.

The notion that the desert areas of the world possess a distinct geomorphology has a long history and, in many ways, is informed by the popular concept of deserts as places that are different. Not surprisingly, early explorers in deserts, particularly Europeans travelling in the Sahara from the late 18th century onwards, were impressed by, and reported on, the unusual features of these areas.

Layered intrusions have received continuous interest since the publication of the treatise on ‘Layered Igneous Rocks’ by Lawrence Wager and Malcolm Brown, updated in books edited by Ian Parsons in 1987 and Grant Cawthorn in 1996. The study of these fossilized magma chambers keep inspiring a number of scientists with a range of interests including petrology and igneous differentiation, geochronology, geochemistry, mineralogy, rock textures and fabric, fluid dynamics, and ore deposits. The goal of this book is to further our understanding of magma chamber processes and crystal-liquid relationship during magma cooling magma. Physical and chemical processes are now better quantified thanks to the development analytical and computing tools such as compositional mapping, 3D X-ray computed tomography, in situ analyses for trace elements and isotopes, development of new experimental facilities, and progress in instrument sensitivity <...>

We may be faced with natural and anthropogenic environmental changes never found in instrumental observation records, not only locally but also globally. Generally, it is comparatively easy to find the cause and effect of local and shortterm changes, whereas it is difficult to establish causal relationships for global and long-term environmental issues. One of the most significant issues in environmental changes to be discussed is knowing how earth surface environments responded to the changes in the past, because that knowledge is required in order to estimate future environmental responses to changes. We have only limited short-term observational data in the instrumental observation period to provide some clues to find causal relations for the estimation. Most areas lack past quantitative records, especially data available for quantitative discussion, although data on earth surface responses to large and long-term global changes are included in past proxy records. <...>