An International Joumal Available online at www.sc,encedirect.com computers & .=,=.o= mathematics with applications Computers and Mathematics with Applications 50 (2005) 73-92 www elsevmr com/locate/camwaAbstract--The apphcatlon of the method of fundamental solutions to the Cauchy problem in three-dimensional lsotroplc linear elasticity is mvestlgated The resulting system of linear algebraic equations is ill-conditioned and therefore, its solution is regularized by employing the first-order Tlkhonov functional, while the choice of the regularizatlon parameter Is based on the L-curve method. Numerical results are presented for both under-and equally-determined Cauchy pioblems in a pmcewise smooth geometry. The convergence, accuracy, and stabihty of the method with respect to increasing the number of source points and the distance between the source points and the boundary of the solutmn domain, and decreasing the amount of noise added into the Input data, respectively, are analysed. ~)