David D. Pollard

David Dave Pollard
Born (1943-10-12) October 12, 1943
Pasadena, California, U.S.
Alma materPomona College (1965)
Stanford University (1969)
Imperial College, University of London (1970)
Known forStructural geology and Geomechanics
Scientific career
FieldsQuantitative Structural Geology and geomechanics
WorkplacesStanford University

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

Education and career

Pollard earned a B.A. in geology from Pomona College in 1965, followed by a Ph.D. in geology from Stanford University in 1969 and a Diploma of Imperial College in geology from Imperial College London in the same year.[1]

He spent four years at the University of Rochester and about a decade with the United States Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, before returning to Stanford.[2] Pollard joined the Stanford faculty in 1983 and became the Barney and Estelle Morris Professor of Earth Sciences. He retired from the university on September 30, 2016, and subsequently held emeritus status. Stanford describes his research as combining quantitative field observations with laboratory experiments and computer modeling based on continuum and fracture mechanics to investigate faulting, fracturing and rock deformation.[3]

Professional appointments

Professional activities

Research

Pollard's research has focused on the mechanical processes responsible for the formation and evolution of geological structures, particularly faults, fractures, folds and igneous intrusions. His work combines observations of geological structures with mathematical and computational models derived from continuum and fracture mechanics. His research has also examined the effects of faults and fractures on the movement of magma, groundwater and hydrocarbons and their role in earthquake generation and volcanic processes.[7]

A major theme of Pollard's work has been the application of mechanical principles to structural geology. The Geological Society of America's citation for his 2016 Career Contribution Award credited him with advancing the quantitative application of mechanics to structural geology while emphasizing the importance of combining mechanical models with field observations. The citation identified contributions involving rock fracture, igneous intrusion, shear-zone formation, deformation bands, folding and fluid flow through fracture systems.[2]

One of Pollard's influential areas of research has been the mechanics of fractures and faults. His work with Paul Segall on the mechanics of discontinuous faults examined the mechanical behavior of faults using quantitative models.[8]Pollard and Atilla Aydin also published a major review of research on geological jointing in the Geological Society of America Bulletin in 1988, examining the development of ideas about the origin, propagation and interaction of joints and the application of fracture mechanics to their study.[9]

Pollard's research has also addressed the mechanics of igneous intrusions and the deformation produced by dikes, sills and laccoliths. His early work on the Henry Mountains of Utah used mechanical models to investigate the deformation of overlying strata during the growth of laccolithic intrusions. [10]

Computational geomechanics

Pollard was involved in the development of Poly3D, a three-dimensional boundary-element computer program for modeling faults and fractures. Stanford identifies him as the developer of Poly3D, while a United States Geological Survey technical report documents the associated Poly3D, Poly3Dinv and Poly3DGUI software developed for academic use. .[11][12]The Poly3D approach was subsequently used in studies of geological structures and fault systems. For example, research on the mechanical interaction of normal faults used three-dimensional boundary-element modeling, while later work incorporated Poly3D-based methods into analyses of fault slip and stress fields.[13][14]

Books

Honors and awards

Notable publications

References

  1. ↑ "David D. Pollard | Structural Geology". structuralgeology.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  2. 1 2 "Structural Geology & Tectonics Career Contribution Award 2016". The Geological Society of America. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  3. ↑ "David Pollard | Earth and Planetary Sciences". profiles.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  4. ↑ "Publications of David D. Pollard". Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Maerten, F.; Maerten, L.; Pollard, D.D. (November 2014). "iBem3D, a three-dimensional iterative boundary element method using angular dislocations for modeling geologic structures". Computers & Geosciences. 72: 1–17. Bibcode:2014CG.....72....1M. doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2014.06.007.
  6. ↑ "The Schlumberger Montpellier Technology Center". Archived from the original on 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  7. ↑ "David Pollard | Earth and Planetary Sciences". profiles.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  8. ↑ Pollard, David D.; Segall, Paul (1980). "Mechanics of discontinuous faults". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 85 (B8): 4337–4350. doi:10.1029/JB085iB08p04337.
  9. ↑ Pollard, David D.; Aydin, Atilla (1988). "Progress in understanding jointing over the past century". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 100 (8): 1181–1204. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1988)100<1181>2.3.CO;2.
  10. ↑ Pollard, David D.; Johnson, Arvid M. (1973). "Mechanics of growth of some laccolithic intrusions in the Henry Mountains, Utah. II: Bending and failure of overburden layers and sill formation". Tectonophysics. 18 (3–4): 311–354. doi:10.1016/0040-1951(73)90051-6.
  11. ↑ "David Pollard". Stanford University. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Final Technical Report: Award Number 02HQGR0050 (PDF) (Report). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Crider, Juliet G.; Pollard, David D. (1998). "Fault linkage: Three-dimensional mechanical interaction between echelon normal faults". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 103 (B10): 24373–24391. doi:10.1029/98JB01353.
  14. ↑ Maerten, Frantz; Resor, Phillip; Pollard, David; Maerten, Laurent (2005). "Inverting for slip on three-dimensional fault surfaces using angular dislocations". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 95 (5): 1654–1665. doi:10.1785/0120040181.
  15. ↑ "2021 awards and funds winners". Geological Society.
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