Hardly a week passes without our learning of natural geologic disaster somewhere in the world, be it a volcanic eruption, landslide, or destructive earthquake. The prominent public notice given to such events is not only the result of better communications, but also results from the increased impact of these events on a growing human population. In recent years, the population has increased greatly in regions of active tectonics. Northern India and the surrounding areas are prime examples. The consequence is that people and their man-made structures are concentrated close to active faults and steep, landslide-prone terrains. In just the past several years, even moderate earthquakes with seismic magnitudes less than 6. 5 have killed as many as 20,000 people precisely because these earthquakes occurred directly beneath population centres in central India. The greater Himalayan region, including the Ganges Plain, is a prime example of the coexistence of a pronounced geological hazard with a growing human population. Due in part to the spectacular topography, the region has long attracted scientific investigations, and may be considered as the birthplace of modern studies of earthquake hazards. R. D. Oldham (1858-1936) of the Geological Survey of India played a prominent role in the development of modern studies of historical seismicity, active faulting and seismic wave analysis. Oldham published extensively on the earthquakes and the geology of India, including his report entitled Catalogue of Indian earthquakes from the earliest time to the end of A. D. 1869 (Mem. Geol. Surv."

This volume is the outcome of about 30 years of research in the field of earthquake seismology in various parts of South Asia. It comprehensively deals with topics raning from plate tectonics to seismic waves in general. State-of-the-art techniques in earthquake location/relocation, fault plane solution, waveform inversion, seismic tomography, fractals etc. are discussed, and the results are interpreted in terms of seismic source processes in the region.

Innovative Exploration Methods for Mineral, Oil, Gas, and Groundwater for Sustainable Development provides an integrated approach to exploration encompassing geology, geophysics, mining, and mineral processing. In addition, groundwater exploration is included, as it is central to the development of earth resources. As the demand for coal, minerals, oil and gas, and water continues to grow globally, researchers must prioritize sustainable exploration methods. Old technologies are being replaced speedily and exploration work has become fast, focused, meaningful, and readily reproducible keeping in pace with the changing global scenario. The themes of exploration of energy resources, exploration of minerals, groundwater exploration and processing and mineral engineering are separated out into sections and chapters included in these sections include case studies focusing on tools and techniques for exploration. Innovative Exploration Methods for Mineral, Oil, Gas, and Groundwater for Sustainable Development gives insight to modern concepts of exploration for those working in the various fields of energy, mineral, and groundwater exploration.