Mechanical Properties of Rocks
MIT OpenCourseWare presents this graduate-level survey of how rocks deform in natural geologic settings. The course covers field evidence of rock deformation, the physics of plastic deformation in minerals, brittle fracture and sliding, and pressure-solution processes. Students compare results from field petrologic and structural studies against data from experimental structural geology, connecting laboratory mechanics to what is actually observed in outcrops and deformed terrains. As with other MIT OpenCourseWare offerings, materials are published free under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA) and typically include lecture notes, readings, and problem sets, though there is no instructor interaction or certificate. This is a focused, technical course suited to students with a background in structural geology or geophysics who want to understand the mechanics behind rock deformation processes.