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Contents of 11.4 How do we know ... why some rocks break and others flow?

• So:
• Some rocks are strong and others are not.
• Some are prone to brittle fracture while others behave plastically.
• With increasing depth, temperature and confining pressure decrease brittle fracture and increase plastic flow.
• Faults and joints are thus expected near the surface, while plastic flow should occur at depth.
• Some few weak materials flow under less extreme conditions, such as rock salt and glacial ice.

11.4 How do we know ... why some rocks break and others flow?