Introduction

Abstract

Friends and associates of Daniel F. Merriam have prepared this volume in Dan's honor to commemorate his 65th birthday and mark the 25th anniversary of the International Association for Mathematical Geology. This compendium is in the tradition of the Festschriften issued by European universities and scholarly organizations to honor an individual who has bequeathed an exceptional legacy to his students, associates, and his discipline. Certainly Dan has made such an impact on geology, and particularly mathematical geology. It is a great privilege for rne to write the introduction to this Festschrift. The editors are to be congratulated for their idea to collect and to publish so many representative scientific articles written by famous authors of several generations. Dan Merriam is the most famous mathematical geologist, in the world. This statement will probably provoke some criticism against an over-glorification of Dan. Some readers will have their own candidates (including themselves) for such a top position. I would like to bring a testimony that the statement is correct and far from an ad hoc judgment only for this solemn occasion. It may be of interest to describe how I became acquainted with Dan. In my opinion this will show how thin and delicate was the original tissue of invisible ties which helped to build up the first contacts among Western and Eastern colleagues in the completely new discipline of mathematical geology. The role of Dan Merriam in opening and increasing these contacts has been very active indeed. In the Fall 1964 I was on a family visit in the United States. This was— after the coup of Prague in 1948—my first travel to the free Western world. With some experience in computerized evaluation of ore deposits, I was curious to see the application of computers in geology and to meet colleagues who had experience with introducing statistical methods into regular estimation of ore reserves. I had very useful contacts in Colorado and in Arizona. In Tucson I visited the real birthplace of the APCOM symposia.