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Geology of petroleum, 1. Applied geophysics
160
cover all of geophysics (save the study of ionospheric phenomena), but in doing so it ceases to be the definitive text in any one field. It lacks the formalism of a good mathematical treatise, and thus leaves unanswered the questions about the universal applicability of the methods used. There is hardly a mention of non-convergence, uniqueness or integrability. It lacks the depth of a good physics text, and thus leaves certain phenomena unrelated when, in fact, they are manifestations of the same law. The book assumes a certain level of sophistication in the reader, but since this book is intended for senior undergraduates and incoming graduate students, this should not be an unwarranted assumption. This book serves as a sourcebook of accepted geophysical practice and helps acquaint the reader with the basic mathematical description of the physical processes that geophysicists study. As such, it is a useful addition to the literature. R.A. STRELITZ (Princeton, N.J.)
Geology
of Petroleum,
1. Applied
Geophysics.
G. Dohr. Enke, Stuttgart,
1974, 272 p., DM 16.80. The standard Geophysics textbooks predate most of the latest developments of the seismic exploration technique, so any new textbook should be welcome, particularly one with the comprehensive list of contents which this one has. Examples of real amplitude processing, the effect of migrating a seismic record, and an introduction to computers are all included. The author points out that over 90% of geophysical expenditure is devoted to the seismic method, and indeed 158 out of the 267 pages of the book concern this technique. As he says in the Preface, “This little book within the row of books concerning the geology of petrol will give a first overlook over the problems of applied geophysics. Due to the concept of this row especially those methods are mentioned according to their importance for practical oil exploration.” Herein lies, regrettably, the key to the book. It is a great pity that such a potentially useful work should have been translated so badly that parts of it become almost incomprehensible. The use of ‘hyperbole’ for hyperbola, of ‘ellipsis’ for ellipse, and so on is harmless, as is the invention of new words such as ‘explorating’, ‘provenience’, and ‘reconstruing’. Misleading technical terms such as ‘geophonlines’ and ‘staggering geophone spreads’ are less acceptable. Students can hardly be expected to rely on what is written in the book when elementary editing of equations such as that on p. 247 giving the Percent Frequency Effect (abbreviated to PFE) has not been performed. The author’s hope for teamwork between geophysicists and geologists is a sentiment meriting frequent repetition, and with careful editing and a new translation this book could prove a most useful addition to the geophysical literature. C. O’BRIEN (London)
cover all of geophysics (save the study of ionospheric phenomena), but in doing so it ceases to be the definitive text in any one field. It lacks the formalism of a good mathematical treatise, and thus leaves unanswered the questions about the universal applicability of the methods used. There is hardly a mention of non-convergence, uniqueness or integrability. It lacks the depth of a good physics text, and thus leaves certain phenomena unrelated when, in fact, they are manifestations of the same law. The book assumes a certain level of sophistication in the reader, but since this book is intended for senior undergraduates and incoming graduate students, this should not be an unwarranted assumption. This book serves as a sourcebook of accepted geophysical practice and helps acquaint the reader with the basic mathematical description of the physical processes that geophysicists study. As such, it is a useful addition to the literature. R.A. STRELITZ (Princeton, N.J.)
Geology
of Petroleum,
1. Applied
Geophysics.
G. Dohr. Enke, Stuttgart,
1974, 272 p., DM 16.80. The standard Geophysics textbooks predate most of the latest developments of the seismic exploration technique, so any new textbook should be welcome, particularly one with the comprehensive list of contents which this one has. Examples of real amplitude processing, the effect of migrating a seismic record, and an introduction to computers are all included. The author points out that over 90% of geophysical expenditure is devoted to the seismic method, and indeed 158 out of the 267 pages of the book concern this technique. As he says in the Preface, “This little book within the row of books concerning the geology of petrol will give a first overlook over the problems of applied geophysics. Due to the concept of this row especially those methods are mentioned according to their importance for practical oil exploration.” Herein lies, regrettably, the key to the book. It is a great pity that such a potentially useful work should have been translated so badly that parts of it become almost incomprehensible. The use of ‘hyperbole’ for hyperbola, of ‘ellipsis’ for ellipse, and so on is harmless, as is the invention of new words such as ‘explorating’, ‘provenience’, and ‘reconstruing’. Misleading technical terms such as ‘geophonlines’ and ‘staggering geophone spreads’ are less acceptable. Students can hardly be expected to rely on what is written in the book when elementary editing of equations such as that on p. 247 giving the Percent Frequency Effect (abbreviated to PFE) has not been performed. The author’s hope for teamwork between geophysicists and geologists is a sentiment meriting frequent repetition, and with careful editing and a new translation this book could prove a most useful addition to the geophysical literature. C. O’BRIEN (London)