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8 and 9). Part III explores the potential of muography to be applied to other geophysical and environmental applications, such as water management, resilient cities, climate action, and affordable or sustainable energy. Experts with practical experience describe how to apply muography to the exploration of underground water and karstic cave systems (Chapters 10 and 11), detection of underground cavities (Chapters 11 and 12), monitoring of glaciers and carbon capture storage sites (Chapters 13 and 14), as well as for applications in mineral exploration, mine geology, and geotechnical and mining engineering (Chapters 15 and 16). Part IV turns to recent technological developments for next‐generation muography, including compact muographic observation systems that are based on scintillators (Chapter 17), gaseous detectors (Chapters 18, 19, and 20), and nuclear emulsions (Chapter 21), which will provide optimal imaging resolution, operational reliability, and efficiency in the challenging natural environment of field operations.

      The editors would like to thank all the contributing authors, many of them leaders in the field, for their valuable chapters. Guest editors Constantin Athanassas, Tadahiro Kin, David Mahon, and several anonymous reviewers were greatly appreciated for their constructive reviews that improved the quality of the chapters. We also thank the American Geophysical Union and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. for providing the opportunity and continuous support for the publication of this book.

       László Oláh The University of Tokyo, Japan and International Virtual Muography Institute, Global

       Hiroyuki K. M. Tanaka The University of Tokyo, Japan and International Virtual Muography Institute, Global

       Dezső Varga Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungary and International Virtual Muography Institute, Global

       Hiroyuki K. M. Tanaka

       Earthquake Research Institute, and International Muography Research Organization (MUOGRAPHIX), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; and International Virtual Muography Institute, Global

      ABSTRACT

      Visualization of the subsurface flow of geofluids with meter‐scale resolution is one of the essential components of current and future geophysical observation technologies. The principles and a critical account of key results on pioneering works in muography are presented. These are compared with other geophysical and geochemical experiments and observations for the study of volcanic dynamics, tectonics, and underground water behavior, which can help us to understand and possibly predict future volcanic eruption and underground water‐associated disasters.

      Many geodynamical activities on Earth are driven by movements of geofluids, i.e., any subsurface fluid, such as magmatic fluid, groundwater, petroleum, etc., that passes through subsurface porous media. In many cases in geophysical studies, it is important to identify such geofluid motions as well as the properties of these porous media, which serve as the pathways of these fluids. Muography, the technique of using high‐energy (relativistic) muons as a radiographic probe, can be used to image the internal structure of hectometric to kilometric‐scale objects. The term muography means “muon rendering” in ancient Greek. While photography utilizes photons (the word for “light” in ancient Greek), muography utilizes the characteristics of relativistic muons. Muography can be explained by using the analogy of medical imaging. One example is medical radiography, in which X‐ray transmission through the human body clarifies the shape and state of internal organs based on differences in thickness or density; for example, bones are easily differentiated from skin tissue. The muon, also indicated by the Greek letter μ, is a charged lepton, which is free from strong force interaction but sensitive to electromagnetic force. Therefore, high‐energy muons can be easily detected, but they have a stronger penetration power than X‐rays. Muons can therefore be used to create similar shadows inside objects with much larger proportions than the human body.

      These high‐energy muons are produced continuously via the interactions of galactic cosmic‐ray (GCR) particles with the upper atmosphere of the Earth. Muography is perhaps the only technology that harnesses energy originated from outside of the solar system. Muography is a technique that doesn’t require active energy sources to transmit probing signals, and thus it is power‐efficient and almost maintenance free. Therefore, it is a cost‐effective technique, in particular for the purpose of long‐time‐range monitoring.

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