In the early 1960s, the emergence of the theory of plate tectonics started a revolution in the earth sciences. Since then, scientists have verified and refined this theory, and now have a much better understanding of how our planet has been shaped by plate-tectonic processes. We now know that, directly or indirectly, plate tectonics influences nearly all geologic processes, past and present. Indeed, the notion that the entire Earth's surface is continually shifting has profoundly changed the way we view our world. <...>

Anisotropic and foliated rock masses, the behaviour of which are dominated by closely spaced planes of weakness, present particular difficulties in the assessment of pit slope stability. Various numerical modelling techniques are available that explicitly simulate the joints and discontinuities within an anisotropic rock mass. However, due to the computational intensity of these numerical techniques, it is not practical to explicitly simulate the joint fabric of an entire three-dimensional pit slope for routine stability assessment. In order to simulate the effects of anisotropic rock mass strength and deformation behaviour on pit slope stability, a modelling methodology has been developed to account for rock mass anisotropy and scale effects using a continuum based ubiquitous joint constitutive model. This paper outlines the anisotropic modelling methodology and presents a series of demonstration models that have been used to validate the technique.  <...>

This volume resulted from the International Conference on Thrust Tectonics, convened by the editor and the Fault Dynamics Research Group, Department of Geology, Royal Holloway, University of London, in April 1999. The papers presented here are a selection of key presentations on thrust tectonics, as well as invited submissions from other authors who were not able to attend the meeting. The papers presented in this volume reflect the current research on thrust tectonics and its applications to hydrocarbon systems. The chapters are subdivided into four broad categories, each of which covers the most important aspects of thrust-belt studies. The categories are

(1) geodynamics of thrust systems,
(2) analog modeling of thrust systems,
(3) fault-related folds in thrust systems, and
(4) case studies. <...>