The morphological approach to the study of fractures appears to culminate in the realm of geology where fractures attain relatively large sizes. The more extensive efforts in materials engineering have produced abundant descriptive data, but these are almost exclusively on microscopic or smaller fractures and many are presented in terms of rather elaborate nomenclature, often with unproven genetic implications. Nevertheless, interchange of observations and theories resulting from a unified concept of fracture morphology is beneficial, and symbols for mapping fracture surfaces have been proposed toward that goal (Fig. 1). Pertinent references on tensile fracture morphology including the classic early work by Woodworth may be found in Hodgson (1961), Gramberg (1965), and Price (1966). The morphology of shear surfaces is discussed in most textbooks on structural geology.
Symbols for mapping fracture surface morphology. (After Lutton, 1969)
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References
Gramberg, J., 1965, Axial cleavage fracture, a significant process in mining and geology, Eng. Geology Internat. Jour. 1, 31–72.
Hodgson, R. A., 1961, Classification of structures on joint surfaces, Am. Jour. Sci. 259, 493–502.
Lutton, R. J., 1969, Systematic mapping of fracture morphology, Geol. Soc. America Bull. 80, 2061–2065.
Price, N. J., 1966, Fault and Joint Development in Brittle and Semi-Brittle Rock. London: Pergamon Press, 176.
Robertson, E. C., 1982, Continuous formation of gouge and breccia during fault displacement, in 23rd Symposium on Rock Mechanics, New York, 397–403.
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Lutton, R.J. (1987). Fracture surface morphology . In: Structural Geology and Tectonics. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31080-0_43
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31080-0_43
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