# David D. Pollard

David D. Pollard (born October 12, 1943) is an American professor in geomechanics and structural geology at Stanford University.

## Career

David Pollard teaches an undergraduate course, Fundamentals of Structural Geology, and is writing an undergraduate textbook in structural geology. He teaches graduate-level courses in structural geology, rock mechanics, and rock fracture mechanics.

### Professional activities

* Morris Professor of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, August 1983 – present
* Geophysicist and Project Chief, US Geological Survey (USGS), July 1974 – August 1983
* Assistant Professor, University of Rochester, September 1970 – June 1974
* Member, editorial advisory board, Journal of Structural Geology.
* Developer of Poly3D, a boundary element computer program to analyse faults and fractures.
* Co-founder of IGEOSS, a French company developing software for the hydrocarbon industry (acquired by Schlumberger in 2010).
* 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.

## Books

* Fundamentals of Structural Geology, 2005, published by Cambridge University Press, along with co-authors Fletcher R.
* Structural Geology: A Quantitative Introduction, 2020, published by Cambridge University Press, along with co-authors Stephen J. Martel.

## Honors and awards

* Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society of London (2021)
* Career Contribution Award, Structural Geology and Tectonics Division, Geological Society of America (2016)
* Best Paper of the Year Award, Structural Geology and Tectonics Division, Geological Society of America (2007)
* Fellow, American Geophysical Union (2007–Present)
* Fellow, Geological Society of America (1996–Present)
* Woodford-Eckis Lectureship, Pomona College (1996)
* Barney and Estelle Morris Professor of Earth Sciences, Stanford University (1993–Present)
* Senior Hess Fellow, Princeton University (1992)
* Centennial Author, Geological Society of America Bulletin (1988)
* Outstanding Teacher Award, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University (1987–1988)
* Applied Research Award, U. S. National Committee on Rock Mechanics (1987)
* Post-doctoral Fellowship, National Science Foundation (1968–1969)
* Graduate Fellowship, National Science Foundation (1965–1968)
* R.W. Strehle Memorial Award in Geology, Pomona College (1965)

## Notable publications

* Pollard, DD, Johnson, AM, 1973, Mechanics of growth of some laccolithic intrusions in Henry mountains, Utah .2. Bending and failure of overburden layers and sill formation, Tectonophysics Volume: 18 Issue: 3–4 Pages: 311–354
* DD Pollard, 1973, Derivation and evaluation of a mechanical model for sheet intrusions, Tectonophysics 19 (3), 233–269
* P Segall, DD Pollard, 1980, Mechanics of discontinuous faults, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 85(B8), 4337–4350 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
* RC Fletcher, DD Pollard, 1981, Anticrack model for pressure solution surfaces, Geology 9 (9), 419–424
* DD Pollard, P Segall, PT Delaney, 1982, Formation and interpretation of dilatant echelon cracks, Geological Society of America Bulletin 93 (12), 1291–1303
* DD Pollard, 1987, Elementary fracture mechanics applied to the structural interpretation of dykes, Mafic dyke swarms 34, 5–24
* DD Pollard, A Aydin, 1988, Progress in understanding jointing over the past century, Geological Society of America Bulletin 100(8), 1181–1204
* J Olson, DD Pollard, 1989, Inferring paleostresses from natural fracture patterns: A new method, Geology 17 (4), 345–348
* MA Antonellini, A Aydin, DD Pollard, 1994, Microstructure of deformation bands in porous sandstones at Arches National Park, Utah, Journal of structural geology 16 (7), 941–959
* R Bürgmann, DD Pollard, SJ Martel, 1994, Slip distributions on faults: effects of stress gradients, inelastic deformation, heterogeneous host-rock stiffness, and fault interaction, Journal of Structural Geology 16 (12), 1675–1690
* Wu, Hq, Pollard, DD, 1995, An experimental-study of the relationship between joint spacing and layer thickness, Journal of Structural Geology Volume: 17 Issue: 6 Pages: 887–905
* H Wu, DD Pollard, 1995, An experimental study of the relationship between joint spacing and layer thickness, Journal of Structural Geology 17 (6), 887–905
* EJM Willemse, DD Pollard, A Aydin, 1996, Three-dimensional analyses of slip distributions on normal fault arrays with consequences for fault scaling, Journal of Structural Geology 18 (2), 295–309
* Willemse, EJM, Pollard, DD, Aydin, 1996, A, Three-dimensional analyses of slip distributions on normal fault arrays with consequences for fault scaling, Journal of Structural Geology Volume: 18 Issue: 2–3 Pages: 295–309
* ML Cooke, DD Pollard, 1996, Fracture propagation paths under mixed mode loading within rectangular blocks of polymethyl methacrylate, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (1978–2012) 101 (B2), 3387–3400
* JG Crider, DD Pollard, 1998, Fault linkage: three‐dimensional mechanical interaction between echelon normal faults, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (1978–2012) 103 (B10), 24373-24391
* L Maerten, EJM Willemse, DD Pollard, K Rawnsley, 1999, Slip distributions on intersecting normal faults, Journal of Structural Geology 21 (3), 259–272
* T Bai, DD Pollard, 2000, Fracture spacing in layered rocks: a new explanation based on the stress transition, Journal of Structural Geology 22 (1), 43–57
* T Bai, DD Pollard, H Gao, 2000, Explanation for fracture spacing in layered materials, Nature 403 (6771), 753–756
* L Maerten, DD Pollard, F Maerten, 2001, Digital mapping of three-dimensional structures of the Chimney Rock fault system, central Utah, Journal of Structural Geology 23 (4), 585–592
* L Maerten, P Gillespie, DD Pollard, 2002, Effects of local stress perturbation on secondary fault development, Journal of Structural Geology 24 (1), 145–153
* KR Sternlof, JW Rudnicki, DD Pollard, 2005, Anticrack inclusion model for compaction bands in sandstone, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (1978–2012) 110 (B11)
* F Maerten, P Resor, D Pollard, L Maerten, 2005, Inverting for slip on three-dimensional fault surfaces using angular dislocations, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 95 (5), 1654–1665
* N Bellahsen, P Fiore, DD Pollard, 2006, The role of fractures in the structural interpretation of Sheep Mountain Anticline, Wyoming, Journal of Structural Geology 28 (5), 850–867
* I Mynatt, S Bergbauer, DD Pollard, 2007, Using differential geometry to describe 3-D folds, Journal of Structural Geology 29 (7), 1256–1266
* WA Griffith, G Di Toro, G Pennacchioni, DD Pollard, 2008, Thin pseudotachylytes in faults of the Mt. Abbot quadrangle, Sierra Nevada: Physical constraints for small seismic slip events, Journal of Structural Geology 30 (9), 1086–1094
* GE Hilley, I Mynatt, DD Pollard, 2010, Structural geometry of Raplee Ridge monocline and thrust fault imaged using inverse Boundary Element Modeling and ALSM data, Journal of Structural Geology 32 (1), 45–58
* JO Kaven, F Maerten, DD Pollard, 2011, Mechanical analysis of fault slip data: Implications for paleostress analysis, Journal of structural geology 33 (2), 78–91
* E Ritz, DD Pollard, 2012, Stick, slip, and opening of wavy frictional faults: A numerical approach in two dimensions, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (1978–2012) 117 (B3)
* C Meng, F Maerten, DD Pollard, 2013, Modeling mixed-mode fracture propagation in isotropic elastic three dimensional solid, International Journal of Fracture 179 (1–2), 45–57
* F Maerten, L Maerten, DD Pollard, 2014, iBem3D, a three-dimensional iterative boundary element method using angular dislocations for modeling geologic structures, Computers & Geosciences 72, 1–17
* F Maerten, EH Madden, DD Pollard, L Maerten, 2016, Incorporating fault mechanics into inversions of aftershock data for the regional remote stress, with application to the 1992 Landers, California earthquake, Tectonophysics, 674, 52–64