Are quaternions used in tensor analysis?

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At the moment I am learning tensor analysis. In the books I study (civil engineering/mechanical books on tensors) there is a lot written about rotation matrices/tensors, however quaternions are not even mentioned. I know that for example in computer games quaternions are used extensively for this purpose, and they have some significant advantages over rotation matrices. Are there any formal problems that make people avoid quaternions? Do you know any tutorials/books in which (for example mechanical) problems are expressed using quaternions, not rotation matrices?