Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction; 2. Stress; 3. Displacement and strain; 4. Relation between stress and strain; 5. Loading of brittle rock to failure; 6. Stress concentration; 7. Theories of brittle failure of rocks; 8. Extension fractures and shear fractures; 9. Displacements and driving stresses of fractures; 10. Toughness and fracture mechanics; 11. Field analysis of extension fractures; 12. Field analysis of faults; 13. Evolution of extension fractures; 14. Evolution of faults; 15. Fluid transport in rocks - the basics; 16. Fluid transport in faults; 17. Fluid transport in hydrofractures; Index.

"Rock fractures control many of Earth's dynamic processes, including plate-boundary development, tectonic earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and fluid transport in the crust. An understanding of rock fractures is also essential for effective exploitation of natural resources such as ground water, geothermal water, and petroleum. This book combines results from fracture mechanics, materials science, rock mechanics, structural geology, hydrogeology, and fluid mechanics to explore and explain fracture processes and fluid transport in the crust. Basic concepts are developed from first principles and illustrated with worked examples linking models of geological processes to real field observations and measurements. Many additional examples and exercises are provided online, allowing readers to practise formulating and quantitative testing of models. Rock Fractures in Geological Processes is designed for courses at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level but also forms a vital resource for researchers and industry professionals concerned with fractures and fluid transport in the Earth's crust"--