  We consider a two-dimensional atomic mass spring system and show that in the
small displacement regime the corresponding discrete energies can be related to
a continuum Griffith energy functional in the sense of Gamma-convergence. We
also analyze the continuum problem for a rectangular bar under tensile boundary
conditions and find that depending on the boundary loading the minimizers are
either homogeneous elastic deformations or configurations that are completely
cracked generically along a crystallographic line. As applications we discuss
cleavage properties of strained crystals and an effective continuum fracture
energy for magnets.
