ruptures

Rupture refers to a break, tear, or bursting that disrupts the integrity of a solid boundary, membrane, or structure. The term can describe an event in which material fails and separates, or the resulting opening, lesion, or flaw.

In geology and seismology, rupture describes the breaking and sliding of rock along a fault during an earthquake. The rupture process starts at a focus and propagates along fault segments, releasing seismic energy. Key measures include rupture length, rupture velocity, slip distribution, and the influence of fault geometry on ground shaking. Ruptures can be unilateral, bilateral, or complex, with both rapid and slow rupture modes described in the literature.

In medicine and biology, rupture denotes tearing of tissue or bursting of a hollow organ or vessel. Common examples include ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, ruptured spleen, ruptured tympanic membrane, ruptured membranes at the onset of labor, and tissue ruptures after trauma or disease. Rupture is a critical clinical event requiring immediate assessment and treatment.

In materials science and engineering, rupture is the failure of a material under stress. Fracture can be brittle or ductile, initiated by crack formation and propagated by stress concentration. Fracture mechanics uses concepts such as fracture toughness, crack length, and energy release rate to predict rupture under loading. Design aims to prevent rupture by providing adequate strength and toughness.

In other contexts, rupture can describe the breakdown of bonds in social, contractual, or systemic networks, signaling a shift from cohesion to discontinuity, such as ruptures in relationships, treaties, or supply chains.