David Pollard
The Barney and Estelle Morris Professor of Earth Sciences, Emeritus
Research
My research aims to understand how faults and fractures initiate and evolve in Earth's brittle crust, how they affect the flow of molten rock, groundwater, and hydrocarbons, and the crucial role faults and fractures play in earthquake generation, folding of sedimentary strata, and volcanic eruption.We use quantitative field data and the principles of structural geology, combined with computer modeling based on continuum and fracture mechanics, to address fundamental questions about the processes of faulting, fracturing, and folding. Our understanding of the geologic structures created by these processes plays an important role in managing resource recovery and in the mitigation of natural hazards. To enhance the precision of our field data, we use the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM).
Professional Activities
Developer of Poly3D, a boundary element computer program to analyze faults and fractures; co-founder of IGEOSS, a French company developing software for the hydrocarbon industry; author and producer of A Complete Suite, a musical allegory exploring uses of continuum mechanics in structural geology; editor, New Departures in Structural Geology and Tectonics, an NSF-sponsored white paper on research opportunities; fellow of the Geological Society of America and of the American Geophysical Union