creep mechanisms Mechanisms by which materials deform at the Earth's surface or, more commonly, at depth. These can be: (a) cataclastic, in which individual grains or fragments physically rotate or glide past one another (see cataclasis); (b) dislocation creep, by a gliding motion along crystalline dislocations; (c) grain-boundary sliding; (d) recrystallization; and (e) diffusion of individual atoms. Each process is dependent on the stress, temperature, and duration of the stress.

creep mechanisms The mechanisms by which materials deform at the Earth's surface or, more commonly, at depth. These can be: (a)cataclastic, in which individual grains or fragments physically rotate or glide past one another;(b)dislocational, by a gliding motion along crystalline dislocations;(c)grain-boundary sliding;(d)recrystallization; and(e)the diffusion of individual atoms. Each process is dependent on the degree, temperature, and duration of the stress.