Understanding the process of faulting: selected challenges and opportunities at the edge of the 21st century

Displacement distributions along fault surfaces are a record of the process es of Fault nucleation, slip, linkage, and propagation. Because several dis parate processes can collectively influence the fault displacements, the re lative contributions of these processes can be challenging, but are therefo re necessary, to decipher. Continued advances in the mechanics of discontin uous slip surfaces in rock masses, when combined with appropriate field stu dies, should determine the roles of cohesive end zones, fault interaction, and propagation direction in shaping the displacement distributions. Studie s of faults on other planetary surfaces provide a window into the role of a broad range of environmental conditions that can influence the faulting pr ocess. More inroads need to be made into traditional strain-based classes i n structural geology so that mechanically sound concepts of fault analysis can become better utilized in the curriculum and by the non-specialist geol ogical community. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.