This lively introduction to geologic fracture mechanics provides a consistent treatment of all common types of geologic structural discontinuities. It explores the formation, growth, and interpretation of fractures and deformation bands, from theoretical, field, and laboratory-based perspectives, bridging the gap between a general textbook treatment and the more advanced research literature. It allows the reader to acquire basic tools to interpret discontinuity origins, geometries, patterns, and implications using many of the leading and contemporary concepts known to specialists in the field. Exercises are provided at the end of each chapter, and worked examples are included within each chapter to illustrate topics and enable self-study. With all common geologic structures including joints, hydrofractures, faults, stylolites, and deformation bands being discussed from a fresh perspective, it will be a useful reference for advanced students, researchers, and industry practitioners interested in structural geology, neotectonics, rock mechanics, planetary geology, and reservoir geomechanics. <...>

Geologic hazards represent substantial danger to humans and their works. The hazards may exist as a consequence of natural events, but often they are the result of human activities. Slope failures, such as landslides and avalanches, can occur in almost any hilly or mountainous terrain, or offshore, often with a very frequent incidence of occurrence, and can be very destructive, at times catastrophic.

Geologic maps are among the basic tools used by anyone who wants to gain an understanding of the surface and shallow subsurface of the earth. They provide information about the types of materials that are present and the configuration of those materials in three dimensions.

The Carlin trend in northeastern Nevada forms the largest and most productive accumulation of gold deposits in North America. Teal and Jackson (1997b) reported a gold endowment that by the end of 1996 included past production, reserves, resources, and mineral inventory of over 107 million ounces (3,330 t [metric tons]). More than 40 separate deposits have been delineated since disseminated gold mineralization in carbonate host rocks was first discovered by Newmont geologists John Livermore and Alan Coope in 1961. From their original discovery, a classification for this style of gold mineralization has come to be referred to as “Carlin-type” deposits. By early 2002, more than 50 million ounces (1,560 t) of gold had been recovered on the Carlin trend from 26 separate operating or past producing mines. Open-pit mining began in 1965 at the Carlin Mine, and underground mining began in 1993 on the same deposit.

The scope of this paper is to present a regional geologic setting of the Carlin trend. As part of the concluding discussion, a spectrum of Carlin trend deposit types is categorized to illustrate the relative influence of structural and stratigraphic controls on each deposit.