Rock joint behaviour impacts many branches of engineering including surface and underground mining, dam foundations, tunnelling for hydro power and transport, petroleum reservoirs and nuclear waste storage. The subject is in a very active stage of development, and engineers, geologists, and scientists involved in these developments have indicated by their 110 papers that rock joints are of great importance in many fields of engineering. Selected papers span five continents and thirty countries.

The subjects covered include geological aspects of joint origin and morphology, mechanical behaviour such as shear strength and deformability, hydraulic behaviour, and dynamic behaviour. The influence of water flow on frictional strength and the effect of joint deformation on water flow are also strongly represented.

Great activity is evident in many countries in computer modelling for solving complicated engineering problems where joint behaviour is important. Articles describe the modelling of joints under dams, around wellbores, in petroleum reservoirs, in open pit mines, and around tunnels, shafts and nuclear waste repository excavations. The conference proceedings forms a unique collection of keynote and specialist articles on all aspects of rock joint behaviour.