The trend towards a more quantitative approach in structural geology has stimulated the development of a number of techniques for determining the strain in deformed rocks of which the most widely used is one called the Rf/&fgr; method. With more than 100 applications of the technique published in the literature this is a timely work, describing as it does the practicalities of the method and its recent refinements. The comprehensive collection of standard graphs, indispensable for the determination of the strain, has never previously been widely available.

A knowledge of structural geology is fundamental to understanding the processes by which the earth's crust has evolved. It is a subject of fundamental importance to students of geology, experienced field geologists and academic researchers as well as to petroleum and mining engineers. In contrast to many structural textbooks which dwell upon geometrical descriptions of geological structures, this book emphasises mechanical principles and the way in which they can be used to understand how and why a wide range of geological structures develop. Structures on all scales are considered but the emphasis of the book is on those that can be seen on the scale of hand specimen or outcrop. Drawing on their considerable teaching experience the authors present a coherent and lucid analysis of geological structures which will be welcomed by a wide variety of earth scientists.

In the case of nearly all branches of science a great advance was made when accurate quantitative methods were used of more qualitative. One great advantage of this is that it necessitates more accurate thought, points out what remains to be learned, and sometimes small residual quantities, which otherwise would escape attention, indicate important facts.

Problems and Solutions in Structural Geology and Tectonics, Volume 5, in the series Developments in Structural Geology and Tectonics, presents students, researchers and practitioners with an all-new set of problems and solutions that structural geologists and tectonics researchers commonly face. Topics covered include ductile deformation (such as strain analyses), brittle deformation (such as rock fracturing), brittle-ductile deformation, collisional and shortening tectonics, thrust-related exercises, rift and extensional tectonics, strike slip tectonics, and cross-section balancing exercises. The book provides a how-to guide for students of structural geology and geologists working in the oil, gas and mining industries. - Provides practical solutions to industry-related issues, such as well bore stability - Allows for self-study and includes background information and explanation of research and industry jargon - Includes full color diagrams to explain 3D issues

This is an elementary book on stress and strain theory for geologists. It is written in the belief that a sound introduction to the mechanics of continu ous bodies is essential for students of structural geology and tectonics, just as a sound introduction to physical chemistry is necessary for students of petrology. This view is shared by most specialists in structural geology, but it is not yet reflected in typical geology curricula. Undergraduates are still traditionally given just a few lectures on mechanical fundamentals, and there is rarely any systematic lecturing on this subject at the graduate level. The result is that many students interested in structure and tectonics finish their formal train ing without being able to understand or contribute to modem literature on rocks as mechanical systems. The long-term remedy for this is to introduce courses in continuum mechanics and material behavior as routine parts of the undergraduate curriculum. These subjects are difficult, but no more so than optical mineralogy or thermo dynamics or other rigorous subjects customarily studied by undergraduates. The short-term remedy is to provide books suitable for independ ent study by those students and working geologists alike who wish to improve their understanding of mechanical topics relevant to geology. This book is intended to meet the short-term need with respect to stress and strain, two elementary yet challenging concepts of continuum mechanics.

Rock masses are initially stressed in their current in situ state of stress and to a lesser natural state. Whether one is interested in the extent on the monitoring of stress change. formation of geological structures (folds, faults, The subject of paleostresses is only briefly intrusions, etc. ), the stability of artificial struc discussed. tures (tunnels, caverns, mines, surface excava The last 30 years have seen a major advance our knowledge and understanding of rock tions, etc. ), or the stability of boreholes, a in the in situ or virgin stress field, stress. A large body of data is now available on knowledge of along with other rock mass properties, is the state of stress in the near surface of the needed in order to predict the response of rock Earth's crust (upper 3-4km of the crust). masses to the disturbance associated with those Various theories have been proposed regarding structures. Stress in rock is usually described the origin of in situ stresses and how gravity, within the context of continuum mechanics. It is tectonics, erosion, lateral straining, rock fabric, defined at a point and is represented by a glaciation and deglaciation, topography, curva second-order Cartesian tensor with six compo ture of the Earth and other active geological nents. Because of its definition, rock stress is an features and processes contribute to the current enigmatic and fictitious quantity creating chal in situ stress field.

shallow processes and for the pursuit of more Sediments are now known to undergo deforma tion in a wide variety of geological circumstances. quantitative relationships. With these goals in The deforming processes can happen on a vast mind, workers are increasingly drawing on the scale and at all stages before the material be principles and methods of the well-established comes fully lithified. In fact, as exploration of the engineering discipline of soil mechanics. earth continues, the widespread extent and im All this is beginning to attract wider geological portance of sediment deformation is still being interest. Yet to the newcomer, because progress revealed, for example, below the oceans and has been rapid in recent years, the literature is beneath ice sheets. At the same time, it is still already formidable. The information is scattered, being realized just how varied are the resulting so even an expert on sediment deformation in a structures, and how strikingly similar they can be certain setting may be unaware of analogous to those produced by the deformation of deeply problems and successes in other environments. buried rocks. At the same time, although the same basic prin However, there are few precedents to guide the ciples apply in the various geological regimes, a geologist in interpreting structures that formed in subtly different terminology is evolving, which unlithified sediments, or in understanding the can make the subject boundaries hard to cross.