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Principles of Rock Deformation

  • Book
  • © 1987

Overview

Authors:
  1. Adolphe Nicolas

    1. Université des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier II, France

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Part of the book series: Petrology and Structural Geology (PESG, volume 2)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 1-2

  3. Strain and Stress

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 3-17

  4. Theory of Discontinuous Deformation

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 18-27

  5. Mechanisms of Continuous Deformation

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 28-50

  6. Discontinuous Deformation: Structures, Interpretations

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 51-68

  7. Structures Caused by Homogeneous Deformation

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 69-85

  8. Interpretation of Continuous Homogeneous Deformation Structures

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 86-104

  9. Continuous Heterogeneous Deformation; Typical Structures

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 105-127

  10. Folds

    • Adolphe Nicolas
    Pages 128-153

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 154-208
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Keywords

About this book

Physicists attempt to reduce natural phenomena to their essential dimensions by means of simplification and approximation and to account for them by defining natural laws. Paradoxically, whilst there is a critical need in geology to reduce the overwhelming field information to its essentials, it often re­ mains in an over-descriptive state. This prudent attitude of geologists is dictated by the nature of the subjects being consi­ dered, as it is often difficult to derive the significant parame­ ters from the raw data. It also follows from the way that geolo­ gical work is carried out. Geologists proceed, as in a police investigation, by trying to reconstruct past conditions and events from an analysis of the features preserved in rocks. In physics all knowledge is based on experiment but in the Earth Sciences experimental evidence is of very limited scope and is difficult to interpret. The geologist's cautious approach in accepting evidence gained by modelling and quantification is sometimes questionable when it is taken too far. It shuts out potentially fruitful lines of advance; for instance when refu­ sing order of magnitude calculations, it risks being drowned in anthropomorphic speculation. Happily nowadays, many more studies tend to separate and order the significant facts and are carried out with numerical constraints, which although they are approxi­ mate in nature, limit the range of hypotheses and thus give rise to new models.

Reviews

`The international standing of the author and the clarity of his explanation and illustration make the book a worthwhile addition to libraries worldwide.' Geological Magazine (about the French edition)
`... it will prove valuable not only in undergraduate structural geology courses, but also to the interested non-specialist. The book is well illustrated with abundant line diagrams.' Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society

Authors and Affiliations

  • Université des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier II, France

    Adolphe Nicolas

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Principles of Rock Deformation

  • Authors: Adolphe Nicolas

  • Series Title: Petrology and Structural Geology

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3743-7

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland 1987

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-90-277-2368-0Published: 31 January 1987

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-90-277-2369-7Published: 31 January 1987

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-009-3743-7Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0924-1957

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 208

  • Topics: Structural Geology, Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences

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