The present book is the author's third on the subject of vertical
seismic profiling (VSP). Ten years have elapsed since the pUblication of
the fIrst book. During this period, VSP has become the principal method
of seismic observations in boreholes and the chief method of
experimental studies of seismic waves in the real earth. VSP combines
borehole studies in the seismic frequency band, well velocity surveys,
proximity or aplanatic surveys, all of which previously existed as
separate methods. The high effectiveness ofVSP, its great practical
value, the express nature and clarity of the results obtained have all
contributed towards a very rapid acceptance of the method. In the USSR
VSP has been used in an overwhelming majority of areas and is being used
increasingly in many foreign countries as well. This has been greatly
facilitated by the translation into English and the publication in the
U. S. A. by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists of the book
Vertical Seismic Profiling (Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1974). As the method has
become more familiar, it has attracted growing interest outside the USSR
This has been substantiated by the special seminar on VSP (Oklahoma,
1979) which was organized for 22 U. S. companies and universities and
presented by the author.