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Department of Geological Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
In recognition of the increasing interest in the subject of deformation of sediments and sedimentary rocks shown by Earth scientists in recent years, a major international conference with this theme was held at University College London in April 1985. This volume contains the texts of those contributions to the Conference that were submitted for publication. The collection of papers presented is not a complete record of the proceedings, as some contributors chose not to submit a manuscript. However, most important subject areas are represented, and the papers provide both a review of the present state of the art and pointers for future investigation. The articles have been grouped into three main divisions: experimental and theoretical, process orientated, and descriptive of particular areas or localities. Within those groupings there is no particular significance in the order of printing except that articles with aspects in common have been placed near to one another.
Studies of naturally deformed sedimentary rocks repeatedly indicate that much of the observed deformation resulted from processes active before the rock was lithified. An understanding of the origins of these structures cannot be established using the principles of rock mechanics and crystal physics commonly employed in ‘hard-rock’ structural geology (Rutter 1976; White 1976), the principles of the engineering discipline of soil mechanics being more appropriate. Alternatively, the post-lithification deformation of sediments is a typical rock mechanics problem and may involve an understanding of elasticity (Jaeger & Cook 1969), fracturing (Price 1966; Barton 1976), crystal plasticity (Turcotte & Schubert 1982) and diffusion based deformation mechanisms (Rutter 1976, 1983). The student of sediment deformation must therefore be conversant with all aspects of rock and soil deformation. The Conference, with its contributions by structural geologists, sedimentologists, geotechnical engineers and those conversant with specific aspects of rock and soil mechanics, provided a coverage of this very wide subject area. This is reflected in the contents of the volume.
