description David D. Pollard Overview
David D. Pollard is an American structural geologist who served as a prominent professor at Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. He is widely recognized in the field for integrating the principles of fracture mechanics into the study of geological structures, including joints, faults, dikes, and deformation bands. Throughout his career, he has co-authored definitive textbooks and research papers that provide quantitative methods for analyzing how rocks break and deform under stress.
His work is highly utilized by academic researchers and professionals in resource exploration and geohazard assessment.
help David D. Pollard FAQ
What is David D. Pollard known for in geology?
David D. Pollard is known for applying fracture mechanics and quantitative modeling to faults, fractures, folds, dikes, and other structures in the Earth's brittle crust. He spent much of his academic career at Stanford University.
What is Poly3D, the program associated with David Pollard?
Poly3D is a boundary-element computer program developed to analyze faults and fractures in three dimensions. It reflects Pollard's broader effort to combine field observations with mechanical and computational models.
Where did David D. Pollard study geology?
Pollard earned a B.A. in geology from Pomona College in 1965 and completed a Ph.D. in geology at Stanford in 1969. He also received a D.I.C. in geology from Imperial College London in 1969.
Why does fracture mechanics matter in structural geology?
Fracture mechanics helps explain how cracks initiate, grow, and reactivate in rocks, which affects faults, groundwater flow, magma movement, and earthquake processes. Pollard's research applies those principles to real structures such as folded sedimentary rocks and geological dikes.
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