Deformation
Stress, strain, and the breaking point.
1 article in this topic
Deformation is what happens when stress is applied to rocks. Depending on the magnitude, rate, and temperature conditions, rocks can deform plastically (folding) or brittle (faulting and fracturing). The structures produced by deformation — folds, faults, joints, foliations — preserve the history of past tectonic events and are crucial for understanding regional geology.