Gorda Ridge presents a primarily technical summary of recent advances in seafloor research related to mineral exploration of the only seafloor spreading center within the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Spreading centers are known to be the locus of hydrothermal activity and to host mineral deposits of hydrothermal origin. The book includes sections on the results of mineral exploration on Gorda Ridge, the newest technologies for mineral exploration and sampling on the seafloor, and the evolving field of hydrothermal vent biology and ecology. What makes the book unique is that it is: 1) a site book, 2) a truly multidisciplinary summation of the state of the art in complementary areas of deep ocean geology and biology, and 3) a marker in the evolution of federal-state relations concerning ocean development.

GOLD: History and Genesis of Deposits is the product of an effort by the Society of Economic Geologists to publish materials that will expand knowl edge concerning timely, specific topics important to the study of economic geology and to economic geologists. A volume on gold was selected for a general review-type publication because of the importance of the gold mining industry in the 1980s. The officers and council of the Society of Economic Geologists authorized the preparation of this book on gold in 1981, and Dr. Robert W. Boyle was selected as its author. Dr. Boyle has extensive experience in the study of gold deposits. He has an international reputation and a broad interest and understanding of the gold mining industry, the origin of gold deposits, and the history of gold as a metal and ore from prehistoric times to recent. Dr. Boyle uses important publications on gold deposits as source materials to document the various pathways of geological thought over time to introduce the reader to modern concepts. The book contains a wealth of information concerning gold."

Shallow Gas determination, prior to drilling, is carried out using 'Engineering Seismic' survey methods. Seismic acquisition data quality is fundamental in achieving this objective as both the data processing methods and interpretation accuracy are subject to the quality of the data obtained. The recent application of workstation based data analysis and interpretation has clearly demonstrated the importance of acquisition data quality on the ability to determine the risks of gas with a high level of confidence. The following pages summarise the 5 primary issues that influence acquisition data QC, suggests future trends and considers their potential impact. The primary issues covered in this paper are: A. Seismic B. Positioning C. QC Data Analysis D. Communications E. Personnel 90 SAFETY IN OFFSHORE DRll.LING FIELD QC ...................... PRIMARY COMPONENTS COMMERCIAL TECHNICAL 1 OPERATIONAL FIGURE 1 HYDROSEARCH The often complex influences of Technical, Commercial and Operational constraints on the acquisition of high quality data require careful management by the QC supervisor in order to achieve a successful seismic survey data set. The following pages only consider the Technical aspects of QC and assume that no Commercial or Operational restrictions are imposed in the achievement of optimum data quality. It is noted however, that such restrictions are frequently responsible for significant compromise in data coverage and quality during routine rig site surveys.

Tarquin Teale, a sedimentology/stratigraphy postgraduate student at the Royal School of Mines, was killed in a road accident south of Rome on 17 October 1985. Premature death is a form of tragedy which can make havoc of the ordered progress which we try to impose on our lives. As parents, relatives and friends, we all know this, and yet somehow when it touches our own world there is no consolation to be found anywhere. In Tarquin's case the enormity of the loss felt by those of us who knew him can barely be expressed in words. Tarquin had everything which we aspire to. His fellow graduate students envied his dramatic progress in research. We his advisors, in appreciating this progress, marvelled at how refreshingly rare it was to see such precocious talent combined with such a caring, modest and well-balanced personality. He was des tined for the highest honours in geoscience and there is no doubt that he would have lived a life, had he been granted the chance, which would have spread colour, intellectual insight and goodness."

Surface waves form the longest and strongest portion of a seismic record excited by explosions and shallow earthquakes. Traversing areas with diverse geologic structures, they 'absorb' information on the properties of these areas which is best retlected in dispersion, the dependence of velocity on frequency. The other prop erties of these waves - polarization, frequency content, attenuation, azimuthal variation of the amplitude and phase - arc also controlled by the medium between the source and the recording station; some of these are affected by the properties of the source itself and by the conditions around it. In recent years surface wave seismology has become an indispensable part of seismological practice. The maximum amplitude in the surface wave train of virtually every earthquake or major explosion is being measured and used by all national and international seismological surveys in the determination of the most important energy parameter of a seismic source, namely, the magnitude M, . The relationship between M, and the body wave magnitude fI1t, is routinely employed in identification of underground nuclear explosions. Surface waves of hundreds of earthquakes recorded every year are being analysed to estimate the seismic moment tensor of earthquake sources, to determine the periods of free oscillations of the Earth, to construct regional dispersion curves from which in turn the crustal and upper mantle structure in various areas is derived, and to evaluate the dissipative parameters of the mantle material."

Identificationof rock-forming minerals in thin section is a key skill needed by all earth science students and practising geologists. This translation of the completely revised and updated German second edition (by Leonore Hoke, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, New Zealand) provides a comprehensive guide to identifying 140 of the most important rock-forming mineral species. The book is divided into three main parts. Part A is a practical guide to the fundamentals of crystal optics, polarization microscopy and the practical use of microscopes. Part B gives a detailed description of the characteristic optical features, special features, and the paragenesis of the most common rock-forming minerals. This well-illustrated part is divided into opaque minerals, isotropic, uniaxial and optical biaxial mineral groups. Part C contains identification tables for the minerals and diagrams showing the international classification of magmatic rocks, as well as a colour plate section showing crystal forms of minerals. The book will provide an invaluable guide to all undergraduate earth scientists, as well as to professional geologists requiring an overview of mineral identification in thin section.

The first North Sea Oil and Gas Reservoirs Conference was held in Trondheim in 1985 as part of the Norwegian Institute of Technology's 75th anniversary celebrations. Favourable reactions from the delegates prompted the Committee to re-run the event some three and a half years later, and it is now intended that the Confe rence be held on a regular basis as long as there is a demand for this type of gathering. The objectives of the 1989 Conference, which were broadly similar to those of the previous one, were: (a) to bring together those engaged in various geoscientific and reservoir engineering aspects of North Sea Oil and gas reservoirs in one forum; (b) to demonstrate wherever poSsible the interdependence of the various disciplines and specializations; (c) to promote innovative, synergistic approaches to research and development programmes aimed at North Sea conditions; and (d) to reflect current trends in the reservoir sciences. Naturally there was no place for specialist parallel sessions in a Conference aimed at encouraging interdisciplinary integration and awareness."

This collection of papers originates from a meeting are in current use on board UK research vessels. organized in May 1988 at the Geological Society, Marine geological exploration requires information under three further headings: (i) the "shape" of the London, under the auspices of its Marine Studies Group. The meeting was concerned with reviewing sea floor, (ii) the nature of the rocks and sediments the present state-of-the-art of marine geological and which lie at its surface, and (iii) the nature of deeper geophysical sampling and surveying techniques. structures. Studies of the shape of the sea floor The pace of scientific exploration of the ocean (bathymetry) are based primarily on echo sounder basins has increased dramatically over the past few and side-scan sonar surveying. Technology in this decades in response to interest in the global tectonic field has seen major advances over the past two processes which control their long-term evolution decades, with the development of new ceramic ma and the regional and local sedimentary and tectonic terials to provide more efficient and powerful trans ducers, the increasing use of digital data processing processes which shape them, as well as more practi cal questions such as the nature and extent of off techniques to improve the quality of the signal from shore mineral resources, problems of waste disposal the sea floor, and the introduction of new design at sea and the response of sea level to global climatic concepts to provide higher resolution records."

This book is the published record of the papers presented at a conference of the Norwegian Petroleum Society (NPF) held in Bergen, Norway, on 3-5 October, 1988. The conference was initially proposed and promoted by the Geology and Geophysics Advisory Committee of the Norwegian Petroleum Society consisting of: A. M. Spencer (Chairman), M. Brink,J. D. Collinson, S. Hanslien, D. M. D.James, T. B. Lund, K. Messel, E. Ormaasen and G. Saeland. The programme and more detailed planning of the conference was carried out by a programme committee consisting of: J. D. Collinson (Chairman), O. Eldholm, E. Holter, D. M. D.James, H. Tykoezinski, D. Worsley and S. M. Aasheim. There were 245 participants at the meeting and 36 papers were presented as talks with a further 9 presented as posters. These proceedings are representative of the range of topics covered. The meeting was characterized by a high level of discussion which has influenced several authors in the final preparation of their written papers. These proceedings have been edi ted on behalf of the Norwegian Petroleum Society by J. D. Collinson with help from H. Tykoezinski. The editor and the organizing committee wish to thank all the referees who reviewed papers and all the authors who responded so fully and promptly to their comments. The NPF is most grateful to the University of Bergen for making available their facilities for the conference.

Trans-boundary water resources are often a cause of conflict among riparian entities. Increasing demand for water resources and deterioration of existing water sources underscore the need to resolve conflicts over the allocation of consumption and pollution rights among conflicting uses and users. Because economic growth of the entities that share a water resource depends on sustainability of the resource, water has great potential as a basis for cooperation among political entities. However, enforcement of cooperation particularly in international settings is limited. Thus, parties sharing a water resource will form and remain in a cooperating coalition only when economic incentives for each can be identified. This book offers an economic approach to resolution of conflicts by identifying economic mechanisms that encourage sustainable cooperation. The book includes discussions on international, interstate, and intrastate disputes regarding both water quantity and water quality issues. It presents mechanisms for facilitating cooperation among users from agricultural, industrial, domestic, and environmental sectors.It considers the experience and potential in many regions around the world including Australia (the Muray-Darling Basin), Latin America (Chile), the Middle East (Israel and the Palestinian Authority), the U.S. (California, Florida's Everglades, Hawaii, and the Chesapeake Bay), and Africa (South Africa, Lesotho). Part I of the book discusses international experience in forming water coalitions and offers an illustrative model of water quality coalitions. It emphasizes the dependence of sustainability of international agreements on the practical ability to create incentives through economic mechanisms and political linkages that overcome the problem of limited enforcement due to sovereignty claims. Part II of the book discusses management of intrastate U.S. water resources involving competing local jurisdictions or user groups and the U.S. and Australian attempts to facilitate state management of interstate water resources through federal cooperation. Part III of the book explores the expanding scope of trans-boundary water resource issues that contribute to complexity of conflict beyond traditional interests such as allocation and navigation rights.In particular, it analyzes the economic implications of nutrient, land, and airshed management in an environment where the interaction of trans-boundary water resources with the ecological system is considered. Trans-boundary water usage and infrastructure are discussed in the context of privatization and political uncertainty. Part IV of the book examines economic solutions to trans-boundary water allocation including water markets, tradable water permits, contractual arrangements, and coordinated management. The interaction between ground and surface water and the interaction between desalinated, recycled, and fresh water is analyzed in the context of optimal water allocation. The book concludes with a critical discussion of the role and potential of the economics profession in contributing to conflict resolution and management of trans-boundary water resources. The strengths and weaknesses of economic analysis are discussed with special consideration of the modern tools of bargaining theory and game theory that go beyond economic efficiency in considering political realities.

TECTONlCS AND PHYSICS Geology, although rooted in the laws of physics, rarely has been taught in a manner designed to stress the relations between the laws and theorems of physics and the postulates of geology. The same is true of geophysics, whose specialties (seismology, gravimetIy, magnetics, magnetotellurics) deal only with the laws that govern them, and not with those that govern geology's postulates. The branch of geology and geophysics called tectonophysics is not a formalized discipline or subdiscipline, and, therefore, has no formal laws or theorems of its own. Although many recent books claim to be textbooks in tectonophysics, they are not; they are books designed to explain one hypothesis, just as the present book is designed to explain one hypothesis. The textbook that comes closest to being a textbook of tectonophysics is Peter 1. Wyllie's (1971) book, The Dynamic Earth. Teachers, students, and practitioners of geology since the very beginning of earth science teaching have avoided the development of a rigorous (but not rigid) scientific approach to tectonics, largely because we earth scientists have not fully understood the origin of the features with which we are dealing. This fact is not at all surprising when one considers that the database for hypotheses and theories of tectonics, particularly before 1960, has been limited to a small part of the exposed land area on the Earth's surface.

The history of gold begins in antiquity. Bits of gold were found in Spanish caves that were used by Paleolithic people around 40,000 B.C. Gold is the "child of Zeus," wrote the Greek poet Pindar. The Romans called the yellow metal aurum ("shining dawn"). Gold is the first element and first metal mentioned in the Bible, where it appears in more than 400 references. This book provides the most thorough and up-to-date information available on the extraction of gold from its ores, starting with the miner alogy of gold ores and ending with details of refining. Each chapter con cludes with a list of references including full publication information for all works cited. Sources preceded by an asterisk (*) are especially recom mended for more in-depth study. Nine appendices, helpful to both students and operators, complement the text. I have made every attempt to keep abreast of recent technical literature on the extraction of gold. Original publications through the spring of 1989 have been reviewed and cited where appropriate. This book is intended as a reference for operators, managers, and designers of gold mills and for professional prospectors. It is also designed as a textbook for extractive metallurgy courses. I am indebted to the Library of Engineering Societies in New York, which was the main source of the references in the book. The assistance of my son, Panos, in typing the manuscript is gratefully acknowledged."

Traditional notions of security are premised on the primacy of state security. In relation to energy security, traditional policy thinking has focused on ensuring supply without much emphasis on socioeconomic and environmental impacts. Non-traditional security (NTS) scholars argue that threats to human security have become increasingly prominent since the end of the Cold War, and that it is thus critical to adopt a holistic and multidisciplinary approach in addressing rising energy needs. This volume represents the perspectives of scholars from across Asia, looking at diverse aspects of energy security through a non-traditional security lens. The issues covered include environmental and socioeconomic impacts, the role of the market, the role of civil society, energy sustainability and policy trends in the ASEAN region.

The former Soviet Union possessed some of the world's largest reserves of energy and mineral resources. With the dissolution of the country in 1991, the former Soviet republics are now exercising complete control over their mining industries. The new Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) consists of several new nations, well-endowed in hydrocarbons, metals, and industrial materials; efforts are now underway to boost development activities and attract foreign investment. Commonwealth members today are implementing policies to regulate energy and mineral development and enhance economic growth. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the energy and minerals industries of the CIS and other former Soviet republics outside the Commonwealth. Prospects for international cooperation and trade in hydrocarbons, metals, and nonmetals are examined, as are opportunities for joint ventures and technology transfers in mining. Economic relations between the CIS and several Asian nations are also analyzed. Contributors to the book from throughout the Commonwealth, Asia, Europe, and North America have a wide variety of backgrounds in the energy and mineral fields, including government, academia, and industry.

Traditional notions of security are premised on the primacy of state security. In relation to energy security, traditional policy thinking has focused on ensuring supply without much emphasis on socioeconomic and environmental impacts. Non-traditional security (NTS) scholars argue that threats to human security have become increasingly prominent since the end of the Cold War, and that it is thus critical to adopt a holistic and multidisciplinary approach in addressing rising energy needs. This volume represents the perspectives of scholars from across Asia, looking at diverse aspects of energy security through a non-traditional security lens. The issues covered include environmental and socioeconomic impacts, the role of the market, the role of civil society, energy sustainability and policy trends in the ASEAN region.

The present book is the author's third on the subject of vertical seismic profiling (VSP). Ten years have elapsed since the pUblication of the fIrst book. During this period, VSP has become the principal method of seismic observations in boreholes and the chief method of experimental studies of seismic waves in the real earth. VSP combines borehole studies in the seismic frequency band, well velocity surveys, proximity or aplanatic surveys, all of which previously existed as separate methods. The high effectiveness ofVSP, its great practical value, the express nature and clarity of the results obtained have all contributed towards a very rapid acceptance of the method. In the USSR VSP has been used in an overwhelming majority of areas and is being used increasingly in many foreign countries as well. This has been greatly facilitated by the translation into English and the publication in the U. S. A. by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists of the book Vertical Seismic Profiling (Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1974). As the method has become more familiar, it has attracted growing interest outside the USSR This has been substantiated by the special seminar on VSP (Oklahoma, 1979) which was organized for 22 U. S. companies and universities and presented by the author.

This book describes the seismic methods used in geophys ical exploration for oil and gas in a comprehensive, non rigorous, mathematical manner. I have used it and its predecessors as a manual for short courses in seismic methods, and it has been extensively revised time and again to include the latest advances in our truly remark able science. I once called it, "Advanced Seismic Inter pretation," but the geophysicists who attended the courses always wondered when I was going to start dis cussing interpretation. They discovered at the end that I never did discuss interpretation as they knew it. No men tion was made of reflection picking, posting times, map ping, contouring, and things they already knew perfectly well. Instead, I discussed Fourier transforms, sampling theory, impulse responses, distortion operators, Wiener filters, noise in f-k space, velocity spectra, wave-equation migration, and direct detection of hydrocarbons as each of these topics appeared on the seismic scene. I wanted the geophysicists to think beyond the routine ofinterpre tation, to develop a better understanding of why seismic sections look as they do, to have a better feel for what digital processing is doing, for good or evil, to the seismic data. I attempted to stretch their minds. Whitehead said it best: "A mind once stretched by a new idea can never shrink to its former dimension. " May this book be a suc cessful mind-stretcher. R. L."

This is the first book entirely devoted to travertine, a material in use for over 4000 years. The single-author work is a valuable reference source for travertine, covering all aspects of travertine origins, formation, composition, flora and fauna, occurrence and utilisation, as well as covering allied continental carbonates such as lake marls, calcretes and beachrocks.
Travertine, some forms of which are often known as tufa, is of particular significance as a source of environmental information (fossils and isotope geochemistry), often permitting the reconstruction of past environments. Reviews of dating techniques, classification and geomorphology are included and the author attempts to provide an unbiased but critical appraisal of current models of travertine formation.
Currently, travertine is in great demand as a building and ornamental stone. It has also been exploited in unconventional ways, such as petrifying springs and by way of unusual and little known artistic techniques. Scaling of pipes and boilers is often the result of processes allied to travertine formation. The phenomenon is described parallel to methods of scale elimination and compared with natural processes where travertine formation is inhibited. Travertine sites are of special scientific interest, with their rich and often unique floras and faunas displaying their unique biodiversity, and their unusual and often fragile biota. Conservation issues are discussed, together with the description of travertine fossils and occurrences throughout the geological record.
The content will be of interest to carbonate sedimentologists, hydrobiologists, palaeoclimatologists, physical geographers, water treatment engineers, astrobiologists, architects, and sculptors."

Plan of Review This review of clay microstructure is aimed at the diverse group of professionals who share an interest in the properties of fine-grained minerals in sediments. During the last several decades, members of this group have included geologists, soil scientists, soil engineers, engineering geologists, and ceramics scientists. More recently, it has included significant numbers of marine geologists and other engineers. Each of the disciplines has developed special techniques for investigating properties of clay sediments that have proven to be fruitful in answering questions of central interest. Knowledge of clay microstructure-the fabric of a sediment and the physico chemical interactions between its components-is fundamental to all these disciplines (Mitchell 1956; Lambe 1958a; Foster and De 1971). Clay fabric refers to the spatial distribution, orientations, and particle-to-particle relations of the solid particles (generally those less than 3. 9 /Lm in size) of sediment. Physico-chemical interac tions are expressions of the forces between the particles. In this review, we trace the historical development of under standing clay microstructure by discussing key scientific papers published before 1986 on physico-chemical interactions in fine grained sediments and on clay fabric. Since the development follows an intricate path, the current view of clay microstructure is summarized. This summary includes a discussion of the present state of knowledge, the observations made so far, and the facts that are now established."

What is the role of government in environmental politics and policy? The answer to this question used to be relatively clear. Government was to regulate the environmental performance of state and non-state actors, to set standards, impose charges, and establish more or less stringent criteria of acceptable behavior. With the increasing appearance of the issues of globalization and global governance in the political science literature, however, the focus has turned to the role of non-state actors. Academic research and the popular debate have identified business, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society as such as increasingly important and potentially powerful actors in the political arena. At the same time, some observers have proclaimed the influence of government to be declining. Others have argued that the role of government primarily is changing rather than declining. Those who adopt the latter perspective postulate that the new role for government in this changing political and socio-economic context is to set the framework for action. In this perspective, government is still of fundamental importance for the functioning of the society, the economy, and political decision-making, but its role is different in that government 'merely' provides the institutional framework facilitating desired outcomes.

This volume contains the edited papers prepared by lecturers and participants of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Statistical Treatments for Estimation of Mineral and Energy Resources" held at II Ciocco (Lucca), Italy, June 22 - July 4, 1986. During the past twenty years, tremendous efforts have been made to acquire quantitative geoscience information from ore deposits, geochemical, geophys ical and remotely-sensed measurements. In October 1981, a two-day symposium on "Quantitative Resource Evaluation" and a three-day workshop on "Interactive Systems for Multivariate Analysis and Image Processing for Resource Evaluation" were held in Ottawa, jointly sponsored by the Geological Survey of Canada, the International Association for Mathematical Geology, and the International Geological Correlation Programme. Thirty scientists from different countries in Europe and North America were invited to form a forum for the discussion of quantitative methods for mineral and energy resource assessment. Since then, not only a multitude of research projects directed toward quantitative analysis in the Earth Sciences, but also recent advances in hardware and software technology, such as high-resolution graphics, data-base management systems and statistical packages on mini and micro-computers, made it possible to study large geoscience data sets. In addition, methods of image analysis have been utilized to capture data in digital form and to supply a variety of tools for charaterizing natural phenomena."

By their adoption of Agenda 21, most of the world's governments have acknowledged the need for sustainable development. This implies that new policies are needed, focusing on economic, social, cultural and ecological goals. At the same time, we also need to solve existing environmental and social problems, and prevent the occurrence of new ones. This volume presents, tests and illustrates a theoretically well-founded procedure for discovering regional opportunities for sustainable development, based on a systems approach to decision making. The procedure takes as its starting point the needs of the people involved, relating these to the measurement of available resources in order to find opportunities for multiple resource use and sustainable development. The needs of future generations and broader communities are taken into account throughout. The book studies regional planning and the implementation of plans, offering guidance and support to parties involved in debates on sustainable development, and improving the quality of their decision making.

Books published during recent years in the field of applied geo physics can be, in general, divided into two main types. The first type covers such multiaspect books as "Introduction to Geophysics," while the second-special works on fundamental theoretical prob lems with an elaborate mathematical description. The books of the first type are mainly intended for beginner students and specialists in adjacent fields. The books of the second type may be useful for teachers and theorists. However, there are also books of another (third) type. These books describe the experience in geophysical in vestigation under specific conditions or propose solutions to concrete geological problems, being a methodological guide for geophysicists and concentrating ideas both for advanced students and researchers. Authors hope to give the readers a book of this kind. Interpretation of geophysical fields is a complex consistent pro cess. Its successful realization requires: (a) knowledge of geological regularities and geological situation; (b) availability of petrophysical support; (c) mathematical methods of solving direct and inverse problems of geophysics (i.e. computation of geophysical fields from a known source and determination of source characteristics from known fields); (d) application of statistical and logico-informational procedures to the analysis and synthesis of observation results for revealing desired objects and peculiarities of the geological structure."

Bayesian probability theory and maximum entropy methods are at the core of a new view of scientific inference. These new' ideas, along with the revolution in computational methods afforded by modern computers, allow astronomers, electrical engineers, image processors of any type, NMR chemists and physicists, and anyone at all who has to deal with incomplete and noisy data, to take advantage of methods that, in the past, have been applied only in some areas of theoretical physics. This volume records the Proceedings of Eleventh Annual Maximum Entropy' Workshop, held at Seattle University in June, 1991. These workshops have been the focus of a group of researchers from many different fields, and this diversity is evident in this volume. There are tutorial papers, theoretical papers, and applications in a very wide variety of fields. Almost any instance of dealing with incomplete and noisy data can be usefully treated by these methods, and many areas of theoretical research are being enhanced by the thoughtful application of Bayes' theorem. The contributions contained in this volume present a state-of-the-art review that will be influential and useful for many years to come.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union almost a decade ago, there has been rapid evolution of interactions between the Western nations and individual countries of the former Soviet Union. As part of that interaction, the autonomous independent Republic of Azerbaijan through its scientific arm, the Geological Institute of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences under the Directorship of Academician Akif Ali-Zadeh and Deputy Director Ibrahim Guliev, arranged for personnel to be seconded to the University of South Carolina. The idea here was to see to what extent a quantitative understanding could be achieved of the evolution of the Azerbaijan part of the South Caspian Basin from dynamical, thermal and hydrocarbon perspectives. The Azeris brought with them copious amounts of data collected over decades which, together with the quantitative numerical codes available at USC, enabled a concerted effort to be put forward, culminating in two large books (Evolution of the South Caspian Basin: Geological Risks and Probable Hazards, 675 pps; and The South Caspian Basin: Stratigraphy, Geochemistry, and Risk Analysis, of which were published by the Azerbaijan Academy of 472 pps. ) both Sciences, and also many scientific papers. Thus, over the last four to five years an integrated comprehensive start has been made to understand the hydrocarbon proneness of the South Caspian Basin. In the course of the endeavor to understand the basinal evolution, it became clear that a variety of natural hazards occur in the Basin.