Geostatistics aims at providing quantitative descriptions of natural variables distributed in space or in time and space. Examples of such variables are 

Ore grades in a mineral deposit 

Depth and thickness of a geological layer 

Porosity and permeability in a porous medium 

Density of trees of a certain species in a forest 

Soil properties in a region 

Rainfall over a catchment area 

Pressure, temperature, and wind velocity in the atmosphere
Concentrations of pollutants in a contaminated site

Welcome to physical geography and the fifth edition of  Geosystems! We begin this new century with a sense that the world community is responding to global concerns as to  the status and conditions of Earth's physical, biological, and  chemical systems. The globalization of the world economies seems paralleled by a global scientific inquiry into the state of the environment. Marking this awareness is the second Earth Summit held in 2002 in]oham1esburg, South Africa, with an agenda including climate change, freshwater, and the five Rio Conventions, among other topics. <...>

The use and application of in-situ testing has continued to expand in the past few decades. This paper focuses on some major in-situ tests (SPT, CPT and DMT) and presents selected insights that the geotechnical engineering profession may find helpful. Many of the recommendations contained in this paper are focused on low to moderate risk projects where empirical interpretation tends to dominate. For projects where more advanced methods are more appropriate, the recommendations provided in this paper can be used as a screening to evaluate critical regions/zones where selective additional in-situ testing and sampling may be appropriate. <...>

Technical Committee 204: “Underground Construction in Soft Ground” of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) was first established as TC28 in 1989 to provide a forum for interchange of ideas and discussion amongst representatives from different countries with an active interest in tunnelling and deep excavations in the urban environment. In 1994, under the Chairmanship of Prof. Keiichi Fujita, TC28 organised its first symposium as a satellite event to the ISSMGE International Conference in New Delhi.