Resources in the Near-Surface Earth: An Introduction and Overview

Geophysics is now fundamental to the characterization and monitoring of the near surface, loosely defined here as the outermost shell of the Earth where humans interact with natural systems and often characterized by mobile pore fluids. The geophysical properties of porous media are exploited to characterize fundamental rock properties controlling fluid flow and transport; these properties are also used to locate mineral resources. Emerging areas of geophysical exploration of the near subsurface include monitoring of biogeochemical transformations, induced seismicity associated with advanced hydrocarbon extraction techniques, and the capture/release of greenhouse gasses. This chapter provides a broad overview of the current state of near surface geophysical research and identifies the major contributions of the technical chapters that constitute this new volume of the Treatise on Geophysics.