There are surprisingly many discrepancies and often contradictions between observations on the
one hand and models on the other in a broad range of geophysics, rock physics, geomechanics and tectonophysics problems. Many of these discrepancies are due to idealized models that were needed in the past because the alternative – massive computing – was not feasible. Important examples to consider are fundamental puzzles in our understanding of earthquake physics, the nature of distributed brittle faulting in the earth crust, deformation at plate boundaries below and away from the seismogenic zones, the mechanics of the opening and closing of backarc basins, and the complex physics and chemistry of reactive fluids, pressure solution and diagenesis in porous rocks under stress. In this talk (and
in the discussions that will follow) I would like to review some of these problems and propose approaches to solve them. Specifically, I will show that a key aspect to obtain solutions in the future must involve replacing the reliance on idealized models with the use of massive computing to rigorously (and fearlessly) simulate the real complex behavior of the relevant rock and earth systems – including their nonlinear, heterogeneous, and the couplings between deformation, fluid flow and mass transfer under stress. A second key aspect will be the future role of visualization of complex earth processes. Here we need to move from the most common current use of cartoons to animation and than to simulation and ultimately to process prediction.

Prof. Amos Nur was the founder and director of the Rock Physics and Borehole Geophysics in Stanford University since 1977. He has served as the Wayne Loel Professor of Earth Sciences since 1988. Amos earned his BS in geology at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and his Ph.D. in Geophysics at MIT in 1969. He was chair of the Geophysics Department, Stanford from 1986-1991 and from 1997- 2000. Amos was the SEG Distinguished Lecturer in 1997 and the AAPG Distinguished Lecturer in 1998. Amos is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (2001), a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (1976); Fellow, Geological Society of America (1980); Fellow, California Academy of Science (1990); and an honorary member of the Society of Exploration Geophysics (1996). He is the 2011 recipient of the Maurice Ewing medal of the Society of Exploration Geophysics. Amos has published over 250 papers and 3 books.

Amos Nur教授是斯坦福大学岩石物理和钻孔地球物理的创始人。他1969年在麻省理工学院（MIT）获得了地球
物理学博士学位；1970年起任斯坦福大学地球物理学系教授；1986-1991和1997-2000期间，Nur教授担任斯坦福
大学地球物理学系系主任。他曾获美国地球物理联合会（AGU）的Macelwane奖（1974年），美国勘探地球物理
家学会（SEG）Ewing奖(2011年)，并于1976年当选AGU会士，1980年当选美国地质学会（GSA）会士，1996
年被推选为美国勘探地球物理家学会（SEG）荣誉会员。2001年，Nur教授被遴选为美国国家工程院院士。Amos
Nur教授在3D和4D地震成像方面长期开展了开创性研究工作，被公认为是岩石物理领域的学术泰斗。他将岩石
物理学应用到地壳和岩石圈的构造物理过程，其中关于地壳运动和能源开发中流体作用的研究工作在学术界具
有广泛的影响。