“…It is a hybrid method that can simulate the whole process from a continuous to a discontinuous geological body. 13,14 The CDEM was successfully applied to the analysis of a variety of geotechnical engineering problems, such as coal caving mining, 15 propagation of hydrofracturing cracks, 16,17 rock blasting, 18,19 crack propagation of brittle materials, 20,21 deformation of tunnels, 22 and landslides. 23,24 The success of modern simulation models for granular matter requires realistic and efficient consideration of frequently complex particle shapes of geological materials, see Zhao et al 25 for a comprehensive appraisal of state-of-the-art computational models for granular particles of either naturally occurring shapes or engineered geometries.…”