Rock Quality, Seismic Velocity, Attenuation and Anisotropy

This encyclopedic monograph expresses nearly 40 years of Nick Barton's research interests in engineering classification of rock masses. Rock Quality, Seismic Velocity, Attenuation, and Anisotropis organized into two basic parts: Chapters 1 through 9 in Part I pertain to civil engineering scales and applications, whereas Chapters 10 through 16 in Part II pertain to large-scale seismic phenomena and high pressure laboratory rock physics tests. Figures outnumber equations through Rock Quality,Seismic Velocity, Attenuation, and Anisotropy, and a random examination revealed at least two figures on just about any pair of facing pages. References for all chapters are combined into a single list that is 27 pages long. Conclusions are given for each chapter in numbered paragraphs. The largest number of paragraphs (51) is for Chapter 15 (Shear wave splitting in fractured reservoirs and resulting from earthquakes). The Index is impressive, occupying 64 pages. Rock Quality, Seismic Velocity, Attenuation, and Anisotropy contains so much valuable information that selecting one or two items to serve as examples is a challenge.The introduction to Rock Quality, Seismic Velocity, Attenuation, and Anisotropy includes comments regarding the different problems that civil engineers and engineering geologists face compared to problems that petroleum engineers or tectonophysicists face. Barton notes that it is understandable, but regrettable, that advances in the different areas have been largely unknown outside the boundaries of the technical area. Practitioners and researchers in these major fields participate in separate conferences and read and publish in separate journals. Barton notes that technical language complicates cross-discipline interactions. Rock Quality, Seismic Velocity, Attenuation, and Anisotropy is a major step toward overcoming the boundaries and cross-discipline complications to provide a comprehensive reference book that addresses important topics for civil engineers and engineering geologists, petroleum engineers, and tectonophysicists.