Fundamentals of rock physics Chapter 1 Introduction Introduction into rock physics. Origin of rocks. Shell structure of the Earth. Geophysical methods and petrophysical parameters. Rocks and minerals: Classification texture and structure. Global rock cycle. Granular analysis. Grain surfaces and boundaries. 1.1 What is rock physics The meaning of the word assumes that rock physics is an application of physical methods to study of rock properties. From the geological and mineralogical point of view rocks may be distinguished by their macroscopic properties studied in field and by the microscopic properties studied by mineralogists and petrologists in labs. Rocks also possess some very variable physical properties such as density elastic modulus permeability porosity magnetic susceptibility resistivity etc. just as any other solid material. From the geophysical point of view rocks are an environmental medium which properties are needed to be known in order to provide an adequate interpretation of geophysical measurements. Thus petrophysics or rock physics is a link between the branches of geoscience knowledge like geophysics lithology petrography hydrogeology and rock mechanics