SOME PROBLEMS OF MECHANICS IN TECTONIC ANALYSIS

Problems concerning the use of the continuum theory of solid mechanics to analyze the tectonic movements are reviewed. The difference between these problems and ordinary mechanics problems are discussed. The main difference is that the problems here are inverse ones, from the surficial manifestation of tectonic movements to model the interior processes, from the present information to trace their histories. Informations gathered by Earth scientists are to be used to guide the inversion. The establishment of...