Nonlinear Mesoscopic Elasticity In Solids

A variety of materials reside in the purported elasticity universality class characterized by 'nonlinear mesoscopic elasticity. Rocks, the prototypical member of this class, have extreme nonlinearity (NL), hysteresis (H), and discrete memory (DM). The experimental manifestations of NL, H, and DM will be described with Berea sandstone as example. NL, H, and DM lead to unusual behavior in laboratory resonance measurements and in a variety of geophysical contexts. An effort will be made to identify the microscopic features of materials that might be placed in this elasticity universality class.