Introduction

The major objectives of this book are to determine the macroscopic properties of individual fractures and of collections of fractures that we shall call fracture networks. We shall also study the possible evolution of these objects, resulting from mechanical forces and deposition and/or dissolution processes. These problems have important fields of application. In the oil industry, it might be useful to exploit the presence of fractures in order to increase oil production. On the contrary, in the long-time storage of nuclear wastes, the passage of waste to the fracture network must be avoided.