The subject of this NATO Advanced Study Institute was seismic monitoring under a nuclear test ban - an application of scienti fic knowledge and modern technology for a political purpose. The international political objective of a comprehensive nuclear test ban provided in turn the motivation for our technical and scientific discussions. In order to obtain a historical perspec tive on the progress of the work towards a comprehensive test-ban treaty (CTB), it is necessary to go back to 1958, when a confer ence of scientific experts in Geneva made the first steps toward an international seismic monitoring system. However, agreement on actual capabilities of a monitoring system for verifying compliance with such a treaty was not achieved, and thus the conference did not lead to immediate political results. After the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963, which banned nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, outer space and under the seas, renewed interest in the seismological verification of a CTB took place. A number of countries initiated large-scale research efforts toward detecting and identifying underground nuclear explosions, and it was in this context that the large aperture seismic arrays NORSAR and LASA were established. This type of development resulted in excellent seismic data in digital form and was thus of great irnprotance to the seismological com munity."

The subject of this NATO Advanced Study Institute was seismic monitoring under a nuclear test ban - an application of scienti fic knowledge and modern technology for a political purpose. The international political objective of a comprehensive nuclear test ban provided in turn the motivation for our technical and scientific discussions. In order to obtain a historical perspec tive on the progress of the work towards a comprehensive test-ban treaty (CTB), it is necessary to go back to 1958, when a confer ence of scientific experts in Geneva made the first steps toward an international seismic monitoring system. However, agreement on actual capabilities of a monitoring system for verifying compliance with such a treaty was not achieved, and thus the conference did not lead to immediate political results. After the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963, which banned nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, outer space and under the seas, renewed interest in the seismological verification of a CTB took place. A number of countries initiated large-scale research efforts toward detecting and identifying underground nuclear explosions, and it was in this context that the large aperture seismic arrays NORSAR and LASA were established. This type of development resulted in excellent seismic data in digital form and was thus of great irnprotance to the seismological com munity."

Seismology is rated the Queen of Earth Sciences due to its ability to provide detailed structural information bearing on the Earth interior and on-going dynamic processes. This is due to the advanced theoretical foundation of seismology and the extensive cooperation among seismologists on recording and disseminating of data worldwide. In contrast, some 40 years ago seismology was a backward science and hence funding was poor.

This abruptly changed with the political interest in seismology as the principal tool for monitoring compliance with a potential Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban treaty (CTBT) banning nuclear testing in any environment.

Major countries like USA, UK and USSR launched large-scale research programs including deployment of modern seismograph stations and arrays and these developments are detailed in the book for CTBTO (UN), IRIS (USA), MedNet (Italy), Geofon (Germany) and the tiny Karelia network, NW Russia. Station and network operations require near real time record analysis and topics dealt with here are 2-D signal detector, epicenter location and earthquake monitoring. Balkan is seismically the most active part of Europe due to multiple plate interactions in the Aegean Sea. The tectonic evolution and on-going geodynamic deformations are described in 2 articles. Earthquake hazard analysis and topographic site effects are discussed and likewise large earthquake hazards in the Aegean and the Marmara seas relate to practical applications of such procedures. Foremost; the book gives a good account of past, present and likely future seismological developments in Balkan countries and various kinds of network operations on local to global scales.