Structural geologists examine rock deformation to evaluate how Earth's crust responds to tectonic loads in the brittle, mixed mode (or the schizosphere of Scholz, 2002) and plastic regimes of the crust (Rutter, 1986). Recently, some researchers have turned their attention to uncon-solidated and nonlithified deposits, elucidating how materials in the near-surface regime deform, and how the impact of this deformation may be felt in a variety of settings (Maltman, 1988; Rawling et al., 2001; Cashman et al., 2007, p. 611 of this issue).