Introductory note

AGH University of Science and Technology (AGH UST), Krakow, Poland, was established a 100 years ago, in 1919 year. Among many events dedicated to the anniversary celebration, there was also the scientific conference “Challenges in Applied Geology and Geophysics: 100th Anniversary of Applied Geology at AGH University of Science and Technology (CAGG2019)” held at the Faculty of Geology Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH UST on 10–13th September 2019 year. Conference was the platform of specialist idea exchange, talks about cooperation and just presentation of deliberations related to the Earth sciences problems and questions considered today, in the past and in the future. Applied geology and applied geophysics were taught since the very beginning of the AGH existence. Graduates from the AGH University and especially from the Faculty of Geological Prospection, now Faculty of Geology Geophysics and Environmental Protection, and people cooperating with the AGH University staff prepared many presentations for the conference which built the review of the directions in which applied geology and applied geophysics develop and the background for the discussions about future. The special issue of the Acta Geophysica journal entitled “New methods and methodologies in applied geophysics and geology—The 100th Anniversary of AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland" includes the papers presented at the CAGG2019 Conference and is mostly dedicated to geophysical solutions in data acquisition, processing and interpretation and case studies. Geophysics was present in Krakow since more than 50 years when in the academic year 1945/1946 at the Mining Academy (the first, historical name of the AGH UST), at the Geological Surveyor Faculty lectures on applied geophysics were assigned to prof. Edward Walery Janczewski (1887-1959), the Head of the Geological Geophysics Chair. The Chair of Mathematical Geophysics and Meteorology, the first in Poland and in Europe, was established in 1895 at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow for Maurycy Pius Rudzki (1862–1916). At the very beginning, the Geological Geophysics Chair at the Mining Academy consisted of four departments: General Geophysics and Geoanalytics, Prospecting Magnetic and Gravity, Prospecting Seismic Methods and Prospecting Electric Methods. Research and education in the abovementioned branches are still realized and extended to new methods resulting from the technology development in the applied geophysics. To the relatively new groups of geophysical methods, with physical background well known but specialized for solving real geological and prospecting problems belong for instance magnetotelluric measurements and GPR investigations. Some new technologies were initiated at the AGH UST. Here, microgravity investigations developed by prof. Zbigniew Fajklewicz and mining geophysics developed by prof. Stanisław Małoszewski were included to the research and education profile. Petrophysics and well logging analysis developed by prof. Stanisław Plewa and prof. Adam Gawin at the Faculty of Geological Prospecting (next Geology Geophysics and Environmental Protection) were presented to the Polish students only at the AGH UST. Applied geophysics closely cooperates with applied geology. The presence of applied geophysics besides geology of mineral deposits, petroleum geology and mining geology, mineralogy, petrography, geochemistry, hydrogeology, engineering geology, geoinformatics and environmental protection at the Faculty of Geology Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH UST, generates good conditions for cooperation and mutual motivation to obtain the best results in geological and environmental problems solutions. During the years, the new areas arose where applied geophysics turned to be effective and not expensive tool. Engineering and environmental geophysics built the platform * Jadwiga A. Jarzyna jarzyna@agh.edu.pl