Rock Mechanics is a term covering a wide range of interdisciplinary interests. Developing originally from a need to understand the relation between the forces released by excavation and the resistance of the surrounding rocks, it has expanded to cover the engineering of the major part of the subsurface environment. Rockmechanics has applications in geology, geophysics, earthquake engineering, geohydrology, civil, environmental and transportation engineering, mining and petroleum engineering, explosives engineering and materials science.

The 140 papers in the Proceedings of the 28th U.S. Symposium on Rock Mechanics cover all of these applications. There is no specific theme, but the Symposium sought to create a forum for the broadest possible discussion of current and unresolved issues in rock mechanics, emphasizing particularly those of antional and international importance. Among those areas particurlarly emphasized are: fluid flow through rock masses and coupled flow; rock fracture and thermomechanical behavior; rock characterization and remote sensing; field and laboratory testing; constitutive models; hydrofracture; well bore and tunnel stability; rock fragmentation and excavation; mine stability and rock mechanics in geologic repository design.