This monograph has its origins in a two-day meeting with the same title held in London, England in the spring of 1987. The idea for the meeting came from members of the UK Mineral and Rock Physics Group. It was held under the auspices of, and made possible by the generous support of, the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Additional financial assistance was provided by ECC International pIc and the Cookson Group pIc. The aims of the London meeting were to survey the current state of knowledge about deformation processes in non-metallic materials and to bring together both experts and less experienced Earth scientists and ceramicists who normally had little contact but shared common interests in deformation mechanisms. This monograph has similar aims and, indeed, most of its authors were keynote speakers at the meeting. Consequently, most of the contributions contain a review element in addition to the presentation and discussion of new results. In adopting this format, the editors hope that the monograph will provide a valuable state-of-the-art sourcebook, both to active researchers and also to graduate students just starting in the relevant fields.

This textbook describes the physics of the plastic deformation of solids at high temperatures. It is directed at geologists or geophysicists interested in the high-temperature behaviour of crystals who wish to become acquainted with the methods of materials science in so far as they are useful to earth scientists. It explains the most important models and recent experimental results without losing the reader in the primary literature of materials science. In turn the book deals with the essential solid-state physics; thermodynamics and hydrostatics of creep; creep models and their applications in the geological sciences; diffusion creep; superplastic deformation and deformation enhanced by phase transformations. Five concluding chapters give experimental results for metals, ceramics and minerals. There are extensive bibliographies to aid further study.

Iterative comparison of analytical results and natural observations with predictions of numerical models improves interpretation of geological processes. Further refinements derive from wide-angle comparison of results from various scales of study. In this volume, advances from field, laboratory and modelling approaches to tectonic evolution - from the lithosphere to the rock scale - are compared. Constructive use is made of apparently discrepant or non-consistent results from analytical or methodological approaches in processing field or laboratory data, P-T estimates, absolute or relative age determinations of tectonic events, tectonic unit size in crustal-scale deformation, grain-scale deformation processes, various modelling approaches, and numerical techniques. Advances in geodynamic modelling critically depend on new insights into grain- and subgrain-scale deformation processes. Conversely, quantitative models help to identify which rheological laws and pa-rameters exert the strongest control on multi-scale deformation up to lithosphere and upper mantle scale

Porous Rock Failure Mechanics: Hydraulic Fracturing, Drilling and Structural Engineering focuses on the fracture mechanics of porous rocks and modern simulation techniques for progressive quasi-static and dynamic fractures. The topics covered in this volume include a wide range of academic and industrial applications, including petroleum, mining, and civil engineering. Chapters focus on advanced topics in the field of rock's fracture mechanics and address theoretical concepts, experimental characterization, numerical simulation techniques, and their applications as appropriate. Each chapter reflects the current state-of-the-art in terms of the modern use of fracture simulation in industrial and academic sectors. Some of the major contributions in this volume include, but are not limited to: anisotropic elasto-plastic deformation mechanisms in fluid saturated porous rocks, dynamics of fluids transport in fractured rocks and simulation techniques, fracture mechanics and simulation techniques in porous rocks, fluid-structure interaction in hydraulic driven fractures, advanced numerical techniques for simulation of progressive fracture, including multiscale modeling, and micromechanical approaches for porous rocks, and quasi-static versus dynamic fractures in porous rocks. This book will serve as an important resource for petroleum, geomechanics, drilling and structural engineers, R&D managers in industry and academia. - Includes a strong editorial team and quality experts as chapter authors - Presents topics identified for individual chapters are current, relevant, and interesting - Focuses on advanced topics, such as fluid coupled fractures, rock's continuum damage mechanics, and multiscale modeling - Provides a 'one-stop' advanced-level reference for a graduate course focusing on rock's mechanics

A valuable introduction to the processes of mountain belt formation and summary of orogenic research, for advanced students and researchers.

A text which aims to help undergraduate students in geology to recognize and interpret metamorphic textures and microstructures in thin-section. For lecturers and postgraduates in geology and petrology, the book provides reference for the interpretation of metamorphic rocks.