Geomechanics According to Gunter Riedmuller (1940-2003)

In this article and professional obituary, the life's work of Austrian geomechanist and former head of the Institute of Engineering Geology and Applied Mineralogy at the Graz University of Technology, Gunter Riedmuller, is given. Professor Riedmuller was a pioneer in understanding fault zones from his detailed studies of clays and fault gouges. The methodology used for these studies ranged from observable geomorphic and structural details found in mapping sometimes aided by boreholes , aerial photography, and geophysics. This relatively liberal technique is described to be in contrast to the dogma of the 1950s where a fault could only be mapped if rigorous justification through stratigraphic offset could be given.