GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Fig. 10.7b: When an external force is applied to buried rocks under low confining pressure, such as near the surface of the earth, the rock typically deform by simple fracturing. This is known as brittle deformation.

Detailed explanation-2: -Brittle materials are characterized by little deformation, poor capacity to resist impact and vibration of load, high compressive strength, and low tensile strength. Most of inorganic non-metallic materials are brittle materials.

Detailed explanation-3: -Brittle rocks undergo little or no ductile deformation past the yield point (or elastic limit) of the rock. Note that some materials, including many rocks, have no well-defined yield point because they have non-linear elasticity. Brittle rocks absorb relatively little energy before fracturing.

Detailed explanation-4: -What is the breaking stress of brittle materials? Explanation: It was found that the tensile strength of two adjacent atomic planes was Y/6. However, brittle materials may break at a stress of the order of Y/1000.