Definitions
Experimental rock deformation is concerned with evaluating, through controlled laboratory experiments, the effects of environmental and material factors on the deformational behavior of rocks. A rock is said to be deformed when it has suffered a change in shape, a change in volume, or a loss of cohesion. Of concern here are the irrecoverable, inelastic aspects of deformation.
Hydrostatic stress reduces pore space and produces volume change only; all permanent deformation of significance in rock results from the action of differential stress and is expressed as fracture, flow, or a combination of the two. Fracture is deformation with complete loss of cohesion and is characterized by a physical discontinuity across which tensile stress cannot act. Flowis any deformation, not instantly recoverable, without permanent loss of cohesion. A rock becomes permanently deformed when it is subjected to differential stress that exceeds its strength under the conditions of deformation....
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References
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© 1987 Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc.
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Donath, F.A. (1987). Rock deformation, experimental . In: Structural Geology and Tectonics. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31080-0_91
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31080-0_91
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