Computational Seismology

sense do not grow as fast as computational possi­ This book contains selections from Volumes bilities. I-V of the series "Computational Seismology," which Moreover, for some strange reason, comput­ was initiated a few years ago by the Academy of ers usually create a spirit of haste, though they are Sciences of the USSR. Volume V was still in prepa­ intended to provide time for meditation. In com­ ration when the translation was begun, and the trans­ puterizing seismology, therefore, one must first lations of papers from it were made from manu­ generalize the methods and then make them more scripts. Most of the authors are members of the rigorous mathematically. All relevant data must Department of Computational Geophysics of the In­ be processed jointly. Insofar as is possible, a priori stitute of Physics of the Earth, Moscow. hypotheses should be avoided. Particular attention The series is dedicated to theoretical and must be given to exact formulation of the problem, computational aspects of the analysis of seismolog­ to questions of uniqueness and stability, to the con­ ical data. The present state of this field is typical fidence limits of the results, etc. This general ap­ of our times. The rapidly increasing flow of infor­ proach is required in solving the main problems of mation is already too vast to be processed or even modern seismology, which are by definition general comprehended in a traditional way. This has forced problems. This approach has other advantages.