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This repository reproduces code forpoly3d, a boundary element method program first released in the M.S. thesis Thomas, 1993. It is intended to make this legacy code easily available for use in structural geology, geomechanics, and active tectonics research.

The primarypoly3d manual isThomas, 1993. It covers the details of the boundary value problems behindpoly3d and explains the input and output file formats.

Prof. Michele Cooke (University of Massachussetts, Amherst) maintainsapoly3d tutorial page that previously included the thesis source code provided here. The originalpoly3d tutorial is available there, as are several examples and other software packages.

Other examples are available on the Stanford Structural Geology and Geomechanicswebsite.

This version ofpoly3d has been tested and modified under Debian Linux and CentOS usinggcc 4.8.

The makefile provided here assumes you are using a recent version ofgcc, the GNU Compiler Collection.Mac OS X 10.8 and above aliasgcc to aclang front-end; to compilepoly3d in those environments, you mustinstallgcc using Homebrew or macports.

Both versions ofpoly3d must be compiled with the-O2 flag. Over-optimization (e.g.-O3 or-ffast-math) can lead to unpredictable numerical errors and large singularities in the resulting displacement fields. Just say no!

poly3d -i <input> -o <output>

poly3d and a related commercial software package were developed by researchers and students of Profs. David Pollard and Atilla Aydin associated with the Stanford Rock Fracture Project and theStructural Geology and Geomechanics research group. This repository is intended for academic use only, and is solely derived from the publicly available source code printed in Thomas, 1993 with modifications to fix the "shadow effect."

Please cite this thesis and related publications if you usepoly3d in published work.

Thomas, A. L., 1993, Poly3D: A three-dimensional, polygonal element, displacement discontinuity boundary element computer program with applications to fractures, faults, and cavities in the Earth's crust (Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University).

To see a recent example ofpoly3d in action, take a look atthis 2014 paper by Fattaruso, Cooke, and Dorsey on uplift produced by tectonic activity in the Coachella area.

Pleaseopen an issue if you have a question.