It has now been more than thirty years since the publication of E. M. Anderson's The Dynamics of Faulting and C. F. Richter's Elementary Seismology. Several generations of earth scientists were raised on these texts. Although these books are still well worth reading today for their excellent descriptions of faults and earthquakes, the mechanical principles they espoused are now well understood by the undergraduate student at the second or third year. In the meantime a great deal has been learned about these subjects, and the two topics, faulting and earthquakes, described in those books have merged into one broader field, as earthquakes have been more clearly understood to be one manifestation of faulting. During this period of rapid progress there has not been a single book written that adequately fills the gap left by these two classics. As a result it has become increasingly difficult for the student or active researcher in this area to obtain an overall grasp of the subject that is both up-to-date and comprehensive and that is based firmly on fundamental mechanical principles. This book has been written to fill this need.

Not least among the difficulties facing the researcher in this field is the interdisciplinary nature of the subject. For historical reasons earthquakes are considered to be the province of the seismologist and the study of faults is that of the geologist.