A two-week summer short course entitled Current Statistical Methods in Geology supported by the National Science Foundation was held at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle in Chicago, Illinois from June 19 to June 30, 1972. The aim of the short course was to bridge the gap between the traditional first courses in sta­ tistics offered at most educational institutions and geostatistics as it is being developed by geologists and statisticians engaged in the application of statistics in geology. The course was intended for geology college teachers who were either then teaching or preparing to teach a course within their department dealing with computer ap­ plications and the use of statistical methods in geology. This book arose out of the class notes which were prepared by the course director and the invited lecturers. We are grateful to the 28 teachers who attended for their enthu­ siastic interest and thoughtful responses to the many statistical concepts presented to them as geologists during the two weeks of the course. I am deeply grateful to my graduate assistants, Richard Kolb and Andrea Krivz, for the long hours spent in collating the course mater­ ials, testing the various computer programs, and instructing the par­ ticipants in the use of computer BASIC.