Geostatistics for Environmental and Geotechnical Applications





STP 1283

Geostatistics for Environmental and

Geotechnical Applications

Shahrokh Rouhani, R. Mohan Srivastava, Alexander J. Desbarats, Marc V. Cromer, and A. Ivan Johnson, editors

ASTM Publication Code Number (PCN): 04-012830-38

ASTM 100 Barr Harbor Drive

West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959 Printed in the U.S.A.


INTRODUCTION

Although, geostatistics is emerging on environmental and geotechnical fronts as an invaluable tool for characterizing spatial or temporal phenomena, it is still not generally considered "standard practice" in these fields. The technology is borrowed from the mining and petroleum exploration industries, starting with the pioneering work of Danie Krige in the

1950's, and the mathematical formalization by Georges Matheron in the early 1960's. In these industries, it has found acceptance through successful application to cases where decisions concerning high capital costs and operating practices are based on interpretations derived from sparse spatial data. The application of geostatistical methods has since extended to many fields relating to the earth sciences. As many geotechnical and, certainly, environmental studies are faced with identical "high-stakes" decisions, geostatistics appears

to be a natural transfer of technology. This paper outlines the unique characteristics of this sophisticated technology and discusses its applicability to geotechnical and environmental studies.


Download
*