This volume, based on the Russian edition publised in 1980, presents the fundamentals of mathematical geology. New developments which have taken place in the last ten years or so have been taken into account as far as possible, and this English edition contains two new chapters devoted, respectively, to random processes and a survey of future geological problems. The book has eight chapters. Chapter one deals with the basic question "what is mathematical geology?" Chapter two deals with the concept of probability. Chapter three relates this fundamental tool to geological problems with the help of specific examples. Chapters four through six cover the theory of random sequence and concentrates on the form which is the most useful to geologists. Chapter seven is dedicated to continuous Markov processes which occur frequently in geological phenomena. The volume concludes with an overview of ideas which have been generated by mathematical geology and which pave the way for the further development of the subject.

Preface to the English edition xiii Basic notations xv Introduction xvii amPl'ER 1. Mathenatical Geology and the Developnent of Geological Sciences 1 1. 1 Introduction 1 1. 2 Developnent of geology and the change of paradigms 2 1. 3 Organization of the mediun and typical structures 8 1. 4 statement of the problem: the role of models in the search for solutions 14 1. 5 Mathematical geology and its developnent 19 References 23 amPTER II. Probability Space and Randan Variables 29 11. 1 Introduction 29 11. 2 Discrete space of elementary events 29 11. 2. 1 Probability space 30 II. 2 * 2 Randan variabl es 33 11. 3 Kolroogorov's axian; The Lebesgue integral 35 II. 3. 1 Probability space and randan variables 36 I 1. 3. 2 The Lebesgue integral 40 II. 3. 3 Nunerical characteristics of raman variables 44 II. 4 ~les of distributions of randan variables 46 II. 4. 1 Discrete distributions 46 II. 4. 2 Absolutely continuous distributions 51 II. 5 Vector randan variables 58 II. 5. 1 Product of probability spaces 58 II. 5. 2 Distribution of vector randan variables 60 II. 5. 3 Olaracteristics of vector randan variables 65 11. 5. 4 Exanples of distributions of vector raman variabl es 69 II . 5. 5 Conditional distributions with respect to randan variables 81 II. 6 Transfomations of randan variables 90 11. 6. 1 Linear transfomations 91 II. 6. 2 Sane non-linear transfomations 95 11. 6.