Dictionary of Mathematical Geosciences ― With Historical Notes

This dictionary includes a number of mathematical, statistical and computing terms and their definitions to assist geoscientists and provide guidance on the methods and terminology encountered in the literature. Each technical term used in the explanations can be found in the dictionary which also includes explanations of basics, such as trigonometric functions and logarithms. There are also citations from the relevant literature to show the term’s first use in mathematics, statistics, etc. and its subsequent usage in geosciences.

Richard Howarth received his Ph.D. at the University of Bristol, UK and is specialized in the statistical interpretation of geological and geochemical data as well as the history of the use of quantitative methods in geology and early geophysics. He worked for Shell International where he undertook computer programming and statistical analysis for a research project relating the hydrocarbon production of world-wide sedimentary basins to their geology. As a lecturer in the Applied Geochemistry Research Group, Imperial College London, his research concerned the application of statistical and computing methods to mapping and interpretation of regional geochemical survey data for mineral exploration, geological and epidemiological purposes. He was then an internal consultant with the British Petroleum Group. He has been affiliated with University College London since 1992 and has collaborated with Prof. John McArthur on arsenic work and creating the strontium isotope timescale. He has been awarded the Murchison Fund and Sue Tyler Friedman Medal of the Geological Society of London, the Krumbein Medal of the International Association of Mathematical Geology and the Richardson Award of the Geologists' Association.