We consider the onset of convection in a porous layer heated from below. Th
e layer is anisotropic with respect to both its permeability and diffusivit
y and is inclined to the horizontal. The aim of this work is to determine n
ot only by how much the critical Rayleigh number varies when the layer is i
nclined, but also the wave number and the angle the roll makes with the dir
ection about which the layer is inclined. We find that there is not always
an abrupt transition between longitudinal and transverse rolls as the gover
ning parameters are varied. but there is often a smooth transition between
these states. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.