Clay-smear continuity and normal fault zone geometry – First results from excavated sandbox models

The continuity of clay-rich fault gouge has a large effect on fluid transmissibility of faults in sand–clay sequences, but clay gouge continuity and composition in 3D are not well known. We report observations of 3D clay smear continuity in water-saturated sandbox experiments where the sheared clay layers were excavated after deformation. The experiments build on existing work on the evolution of clay gouge in similar 2D experiments where interpretations were made in profile view.We used well-known model materials (“Benchmark” sand and uncemented kaolinite–sand mixtures) that were further characterized using standardized geotechnical tests and triaxial compression experiments at effective pressures corresponding to the sandbox experiments. Results show a nonlinear failure envelope of the sand, in agreement with existing models. Unconfined compression experiments with the clay show cohesion around 50 Pa and brittle behavior.A sheared, ductile clay layer embedded in sand above a 70° dipping basement fault reveals a complex, natural-looking clay gouge architecture with relay ramps, breached relays and fault lenses. The clay gouge shows clear variations in composition and thickness and becomes locally discontinuous at throw-thickness ratios above 7, in contrast to our earlier 2D observations where discontinuous clay-gouge only formed in cemented clay layers. In addition to tectonic telescoping in the relays, the thin, continuous parts of the clay gouge were transformed from an initial pure clay by mechanical mixing of sand and clay.We also discuss the applicability of these results to the evolution of normal fault zones and deformation bands in sand–clay sequences at effective pressures below the onset of cataclasis and conclude that in fault zones a higher degree of internal segmentation reduces the probability of the formation of discontinuities.     

Constraints on the Sealing Capacity of Faults with Clay Smears from Discrete Element Models Validated by Laboratory Experiments

Prediction of hydrocarbon column heights in structural traps critically depends on proper analysis of the sealing capacity of faults. Entrainment of clay in fault zones in upper crustal levels may lead to the development of continuous clay smears that dramatically increase the sealing capacity of faults. In this study, direct shear experiments on large-scale samples of layered sandstone–claystone–sandstone are simulated using two-dimensional discrete element numerical models to study the development of clay smears for different claystone types and normal stress conditions. Analysis of clay smear structures in terms of drag, slicing, wear and flow of clay reveals that drag is dominant at low shear displacements and high local stress concentrations, slicing and wear become important at higher shear displacement and low stresses at source bed near the fault zone. Correlation between critical fault displacements in the experiments and local stress ratios (shear stress divided by normal stress) in the models is used to determine smear failure and leakage for all claystones and normal stresses. A smear breach diagram with sealing/leaking conditions for faults containing clay smears shows that clay smears may be sealing at larger displacements than predicted by other fault seal algorithms, such as shale gouge ratio, in particular for low shale content and high normal stress.     

Clay smear: Review of mechanisms and applications

Clay smear is a collection of fault processes and resulting fault structures that form when normal faults deform layered sedimentary sections. These elusive structures have attracted deep interest from researchers interested in subsurface fluid flow, particularly in the oil and gas industry. In the four decades since the association between clay-smear structures and oil and gas accumulations was introduced, there has been extensive research into the fault processes that create clay smear and the resulting effects of that clay smear on fluid flow. We undertake a critical review of the literature associated with outcrop studies, laboratory and numerical modeling, and subsurface field studies of clay smear and propose a comprehensive summary that encompasses all of these elements. Important fault processes that contribute to clay smear are defined in the context of the ratio of rock strength and in situ effective stresses, the geometric evolution of fault systems, and the composition of the faulted section. We find that although there has been progress in all avenues pursued, progress has been uneven, and the processes that disrupt clay smears are mostly overlooked. We highlight those research areas that we think will yield the greatest benefit and suggest that taking these emerging results within a more process-based framework presented here will lead to a new generation of clay smear models.     

Geometry and architecture of faults in a syn-rift normal fault array: The Nukhul half-graben, Suez rift, Egypt

The geometry and architecture of a well exposed syn-rift normal fault array in the Suez rift is examined. At pre-rift level, the Nukhul fault consists of a single zone of intense deformation up to 10 m wide, with a significant monocline in the hanging wall and much more limited folding in the footwall. At syn-rift level, the fault zone is characterised by a single discrete fault zone less than 2 m wide, with damage zone faults up to approximately 200 m into the hanging wall, and with no significant monocline developed. The evolution of the fault from a buried structure with associated fault-propagation folding, to a surface-breaking structure with associated surface faulting, has led to enhanced bedding-parallel slip at lower levels that is absent at higher levels. Strain is enhanced at breached relay ramps and bends inherited from pre-existing structures that were reactivated during rifting. Damage zone faults observed within the pre-rift show ramp-flat geometries associated with contrast in competency of the layers cut and commonly contain zones of scaly shale or clay smear. Damage zone faults within the syn-rift are commonly very straight, and may be discrete fault planes with no visible fault rock at the scale of observation, or contain relatively thin and simple zones of scaly shale or gouge. The geometric and architectural evolution of the fault array is interpreted to be the result of (i) the evolution from distributed trishear deformation during upward propagation of buried fault tips to surface faulting after faults breach the surface; (ii) differences in deformation response between lithified pre-rift units that display high competence contrasts during deformation, and unlithified syn-rift units that display low competence contrasts during deformation, and; (iii) the history of segmentation, growth and linkage of the faults that make up the fault array. This has important implications for fluid flow in fault zones.     

Clay smear processes in mechanically layered sequences — Results of water-saturated model experiments with free top surface

The aim of this study is to improve our knowledge of the processes that lead to clay smear during faulting of a layered sand-clay sequence in an analogue sandbox model. We carefully characterized mechanical properties of the materials used by a series of geotechnical tests. Displacement field was quantified using PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry). The model is water-saturated to allow the deformation of wet clay and sand in one experiment comprising a sand package with a horizontal layer of clay above a predefined rigid basement fault. The thickness and rigidity of the clay layer are the parameters varied in this study. The model shows a range of structures that are related to competence contrast between sand and different clay types. Results show ductile shearing of soft clay with a transition to brittle fracturing of stiff clay accompanied by the formation of rotating clay blocks in the fault zone. Localized deformation is observed through time showing (i) the propagation of one active fault migrating laterally through the sediment package, and (ii) the formation of a stable prism between two or more active faults that gets progressively smaller with minor rotation of the hanging wall fault. Continuous clay smear is observed resulting from the lateral injection of clay as well as from a reworked mixture of sand and clay.     

Interrelations of mesoscopic structures and strain across a small regional fold,Virginia Appalachians

Small regional folds, such as the Clover Hollow anticline of the Narrows thrust-sheet in southwest Virginia, U.S.A., are considered to be large buckle folds expressing lateral shortening above a subsurface décollement. Cleavage, mesoscopic and regional folds, and contraction faults have developed in these rocks under anchimetamorphic conditions, in a single, protracted deformation during thrust-sheet emplacement. The contraction faults dominate the structure at all scales. Three fault associations (isolated contraction faults, contraction faults in series and complex fault zones with intense folding) determine the pattern and intensity of local structures. Regional displacement transfer of strain along and across faults has produced local variations in structural style. Duplex-like systems of second-order faults terminate laterally into zones of intense folding and third-order faulting. Fold tightness, cleavage intensity, strain magnitude and total longitudinal strain (ε_T) are maximum in these regions. Contraction faults in this thrust-sheet have propagated along zones of high strain rate associated with mesoscopic folding and intense cleavage. Regional hinge migration, and greater structural complexity along the southeast limb of the Clover Hollow anticline, are considered to be due to emplacement of the adjacent thrust-sheet.     

张性断裂带内部结构特征及油气运移和保存研究

断裂带是一个宽度、长度和高度均与断距呈正比关系的三维地质体,具有典型的二分结构：即断层核和破碎带。断层核由多种类型的断层岩和后期胶结物组成,具有分选差,粘土含量高,颗粒粒径小等特征,表现为具有比围岩更低的孔渗性。破碎带同围岩相比发育大量的裂缝,裂缝的密度随着离断层核距离的增大而逐渐减小,孔渗性较高。断层岩类型取决于断移地层的岩性、成岩程度和断裂变形时期。对于同生断层而言,泥岩和不纯净的砂岩主要发生泥岩涂抹作用;纯净砂岩发生解聚作用,形成颗粒重排的变形带。中成岩阶段发生断裂变形,泥岩发生泥岩涂抹作用,不纯净的砂岩发生碎裂作用和层状硅酸盐涂抹作用,形成碎裂岩和层状硅酸盐 框架断层岩;纯净砂岩主要发生碎裂作用,形成碎裂岩。晚成岩阶段发生断裂变形,碎裂作用成为主要的变形机制,泥岩破碎形成大量断层泥,不纯净的砂岩和纯净的砂岩均形成碎裂岩,其中纯净砂岩形成的碎裂岩由于石英的压溶胶结变得更致密。因此不同成岩阶段、不同岩性形成的断层岩类型不同,泥岩涂抹的排替压力高于层状硅酸盐 框架断层岩和碎裂岩,即使都是碎裂岩,其渗透率相差7个数量级。从断裂带结构看油气运移和保存,断层垂向封闭主要靠剪切型泥岩涂抹的连续性,侧向封闭能力取决于断层岩物性,物性很高的碎裂岩自身封闭能力很差,依靠两盘岩性对接封闭油气,最小断距决定油水界面位置。物性很低的断层岩一般能封住一定高度的油气柱,其是断裂带中泥质含量的函数。断层在储盖层段变形机制差异,决定了断裂输导与封闭油气的耦合,即破碎带双向输导充注,盖层段剪切型泥岩涂抹顶部封闭,断层核遮挡成藏。     

Deformation mechanisms and hydraulic properties of fault zones in unconsolidated sediments; the Roer Valley Rift System,The Netherlands

In general, faults cutting through the unconsolidated sediments of the Roer Valley Rift System (RVRS), The Netherlands, form strong barriers to horizontal groundwater flow. The relationships between deformation mechanisms along fault zones and their impact on the hydrogeological structure of the fault zone are analyzed in a shallow (0–5 m below land surface) trench over one of the faults in the study area. Recently developed digital-image-analysis techniques are used to estimate the spatial distribution of hydraulic conductivity at the millimeter-scale and to describe the micromorphologic characteristics of the fault zone. In addition, laboratory measurements of hydraulic conductivity on core-plug samples show the larger-scale distribution of hydraulic conductivity in the damage zone flanking the main fault plane. Particulate flow is the deformation mechanism at shallow depths, which causes the damage zone around the fault, in the sand-rich parts, to have a relatively enhanced hydraulic conductivity. The fault core is characterized by reduced hydraulic conductivity due to clay smearing, grain-scale mixing, and iron-oxide precipitation. Electronic Publication     

Structure and flow properties of syn-rift border faults: The interplay between fault damage and fault-related chemical alteration (Dombjerg Fault,Wollaston Forland,NE Greenland)

Structurally controlled, syn-rift, clastic depocentres are of economic interest as hydrocarbon reservoirs; understanding the structure of their bounding faults is of great relevance, e.g. in the assessment of fault-controlled hydrocarbon retention potential. Here we investigate the structure of the Dombjerg Fault Zone (Wollaston Forland, NE Greenland), a syn-rift border fault that juxtaposes syn-rift deep-water hanging-wall clastics against a footwall of crystalline basement. A series of discrete fault strands characterize the central fault zone, where discrete slip surfaces, fault rock assemblages and extreme fracturing are common. A chemical alteration zone (CAZ) of fault-related calcite cementation envelops the fault and places strong controls on the style of deformation, particularly in the hanging-wall. The hanging-wall damage zone includes faults, joints, veins and, outside the CAZ, disaggregation deformation bands. Footwall deformation includes faults, joints and veins. Our observations suggest that the CAZ formed during early-stage fault slip and imparted a mechanical control on later fault-related deformation. This study thus gives new insights to the structure of an exposed basin-bounding fault and highlights a spatiotemporal interplay between fault damage and chemical alteration, the latter of which is often underreported in fault studies. To better elucidate the structure, evolution and flow properties of faults (outcrop or subsurface), both fault damage and fault-related chemical alteration must be considered.     

Effects of fault activities on hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in the Zhu I Depression,Pearl River Mouth Basin,South China Sea

Faults can act as either conduits or barriers for hydrocarbon migration, because they have complicated anisotropic flow properties owing to their complicated three-dimensional structures. This study focuses on the Zhu I Depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB), China. In this area, hydrocarbon migration and accumulation occurred over a relatively short period of time and were contemporaneous with fault activation, so the characteristics of hydrocarbon accumulations can be used to deduce the effect of active faults on hydrocarbon migration and accumulation. This study addresses the effect of fault activity on flow properties during hydrocarbon migration through a quantitative and comparative analysis of fault activity vs hydrocarbon accumulation. The fault slip rate and shale smear factor parameters were used to characterise faulting and elucidate its effect on hydrocarbon migration and accumulation. Active faults are generally excellent vertical conduits with strong fault activation resulting in vertical migration of most hydrocarbons and little preservation; traps near faults with fault slip rates greater than 20 m/Ma rarely contain commercial oil and gas accumulations. Faulting can form shale smear, which, if continuous, can act as a barrier to hydrocarbon migration. An active fault can allow hydrocarbon transport from deeper formations and to be trapped by continuous shale smear in shallower strata. Most of the oil and gas in the Zhu I Depression have accumulated near faults with a moderate fault slip rate (<20 m/Ma) and development of continuous shale smear (SSF<4–6).     

大庆油田朝长地区扶余油层断层封闭性及其演化

使用Allan图法、泥岩涂抹因子法和断层泥比率法对大庆油田朝长地区扶余油层8条断层的侧向封闭性进行了研究,使用断面正压力结合泥岩塑性变形强度极限的方法对其垂向封闭性进行了研究,分别确定各断层在嫩江期末、明水期末和现今3个时期的侧向封闭性和垂向封闭性。嫩江期末除6号断层外其他断层均开启,便于青山口组烃源岩排出油气的充注,6号断层附近区域因其封闭而缺乏油源;明水期末断层开始封闭;到现今时期,除5号断层外其他断层均封闭,能够对已形成油藏提供很好的阻挡。5号断层3个时期对油气都缺乏有效阻挡,基本只起到了通道的作用。     

Structural style in a young flexure-induced oblique extensional system,north-western Bonaparte Basin,Australia

In the north-western Bonaparte Basin (North West Shelf of Australia) Neogene to Recent flexure-induced extension superimposed obliquely over the Mesozoic rift structures. Thus, the area offers a good opportunity to investigate the dynamics and architecture of oblique extension fault systems. Analysis of basin-scale 2D and 3D seismic data along the Vulcan sub-basin shows that Neogene deformation produced a new set of extensional, en échelon faults, at places accompanied by the reactivation of the Mesozoic faults. The pre-existing Mesozoic structures strongly control the distribution of the Neogene-Recent deformation, both at regional and local scales. Main controls on the Neogene-Recent fault style, density and segmentation/linkage include: (1) the orientation of the underlying Mesozoic structures, (2) the obliqueness of the younger extension relative to the rift-inherited faults, and (3) the proximity to the Timor Trough. Three types of vertical relationships have been observed between Mesozoic and Neogene-Recent faults. Hard linkages seems to develop when both fault systems trend parallel, therefore increasing risks for trap integrity. It is suggested that the orientation of maximum horizontal stress (S_Hmax) relative to the Mesozoic faults, forming hydrocarbon traps, is critical for their potential seal/leak behaviour. Stratigraphic growth across the faults indicates that main fault activity occurred during the Plio-Pleistocene, which corresponds to the timing of tectonic loading on Timor Island and the development of lithospheric flexure. Synchronism of normal faulting with flexural bending suggests that extensional deformation on the descending Australian margin accompanied the formation of the Timor Trough.     

Polygonal deformation bands

We report for the first time the occurrence of polygonal faults in sandstone, which is compelling given that layer-bound polygonal fault systems have been observed so far only in fine-grained sediments such as clay and chalk. The polygonal faults are shear deformation bands that developed under shallow burial conditions via strain hardening in dm-wide zones. The edges of the polygons are 1–5 m long. The shear deformation bands are organized as conjugate faults along each edge of the polygon and form characteristic horst-like structures. The individual deformation bands have slip magnitudes ranging from a few mm to 1.5 cm; the cumulative average slip magnitude in a zone is up to 10 cm. The deformation bands heaves, in aggregate form, accommodate a small isotropic horizontal extension (strain <0.005). The individual shear deformation bands show abutting T-junctions, veering, curving, and merging where they mechanically interact. Crosscutting relationships are rare. The interactions of the deformation bands are similar to those of mode I opening fractures. The documented fault networks have important implications for evaluating the geometry of km-scale polygonal fault systems in the subsurface, top seal integrity, as well as constraining paleo-tectonic stress regimes.     

The relationship between length and width of plutons within the crustal-scale Cobequid Shear Zone, northern Appalachians, Canada

The lengths and widths have been measured for 69 component bodies of composite plutons along the Cobequid Shear Zone. Plutons on major fault strands, those with mylonite zones >0.1 km wide, exhibit evidence of multiple intrusion of magma batches. Small plutons along short faults in stepover zones appear related to rapid emplacement of magma in bodies 1.5–4 km long by 0.1–2 km wide. Such small plutons show low enrichment in incompatible elements in older component bodies, but increasing amounts in younger bodies as a result of progressive magma expulsion from crystal mush during crystallization and shear-enhanced compaction in fault zones. Wider plutons generally occur along longer fault strands accommodating more strain and penetrating deeper into the crust and show enrichment in incompatible elements. The width of the mylonitic fault zone is about 15% of the width of these plutons. The length-to-width ratio of component bodies and composite plutons varies between 2 and 11. The best-fit line describing these data has a slope of 1.056, which implies scaling behavior between plutonism and tectonic processes. Scalar properties of plutonic bodies are similar to those of faults, but scalar relationships observed in component bodies do not apply to composite plutons.     

The nature and origin of off-fault damage surrounding strike-slip fault zones with a wide range of displacements: A field study from the Atacama fault system, northern Chile

Damage surrounding the core of faults is represented by deformation on a range of scales from microfracturing of the rock matrix to macroscopic fracture networks. The spatial distribution and geometric characterization of damage at various scales can help to predict fault growth processes, subsequent mechanics, bulk hydraulic and seismological properties of a fault zone. Within the excellently exposed Atacama fault system, northern Chile, micro- and macroscale fracture densities and orientation surrounding strike-slip faults with well-constrained displacements ranging over nearly 5 orders of magnitude (0.12 m–5000 m) have been analyzed. Faults have been studied that cut granodiorite and have been passively exhumed from 6 to 10 km depth. This allows direct comparison of the damage surrounding faults of different displacements. The faults consist of a fault core and associated damage zone. Macrofractures in the damage zone are predominantly shear fractures orientated at high angles to the faults studied. They have a reasonably well-defined exponential decrease with distance from the fault core. Microfractures are a combination of open, healed, partially healed and fluid inclusion planes (FIPs). FIPs are the earliest set of fractures and show an exponential decrease in fracture density with perpendicular distance from the fault core. Later microfractures do not show a clear relationship of microfracture density with perpendicular distance from the fault core. Damage zone widths defined by the density of FIPs scale with fault displacement but appear to reach a maximum at a few km displacement. One fault, where damage was characterized on both sides of the fault core shows no damage asymmetry. All faults appear to have a critical microfracture density at the fault core/damage zone boundary that is independent of displacement. An empirical relationship for microfracture density distribution with displacement is presented. Preferred FIP orientations have a high angle to the fault close to the fault core and become more diffuse with distance. Models that predict off-fault damage such as a migrating process zone during fault formation, wear from geometrical irregularities and dynamic rupture are all consistent with our data. We conclude it is very difficult to distinguish between them on the basis of field data alone, at least within the limits of this study.     

Origin of fault domains and fault-domain boundaries (transfer zones and accommodation zones) in extensional provinces: Result of random nucleation and self-organized fault growth

In many extensional provinces, large normal faults dip in the same direction forming fault domains. Features variously named transfer faults, transfer zones, and accommodation zones (hereafter non-genetically referred to as fault-domain boundaries) separate adjacent fault domains. Experimental modeling of distributed extension provides insights on the origin, geometry, and evolution of these fault domains and fault-domain boundaries. In our scaled models, a homogeneous layer of wet clay or dry sand overlies a latex sheet that is stretched orthogonally or obliquely between two rigid sheets. Fault domains and fault-domain boundaries develop in all models in both map view and cross-section. The number, size, and arrangement of fault domains as well as the number and orientation of fault-domain boundaries are variable, even for models with identical boundary conditions. The fault-domain boundaries in our models differ profoundly from those in many published conceptual models of transfer/accommodation zones. In our models, fault-domain boundaries are broad zones of deformation (not discrete strike-slip or oblique-slip faults), their orientations are not systematically related to the extension direction, and they can form spontaneously without any prescribed pre-existing zones of weakness. We propose that fault domains develop because early-formed faults perturb the stress field, causing new nearby faults to dip in the same direction (self-organized growth). As extension continues, faults from adjacent fault domains propagate toward each another. Because opposite-dipping faults interfere with one another in the zone of overlap, the faults stop propagating. In this case, the geometry of the domain boundaries depends on the spatial arrangement of the earliest formed faults, a result of the random distribution of the largest flaws at which the faults nucleate.     

Calculating the long-term displacement rates of a normal fault from the high-resolution stratigraphic record (early Tethyan rifting, French Alps)

Displacement rates of normal faults deduced from stratigraphic data are often unreliable. Here we calculate the velocity of motion on a normal fault from the variations in accommodation potential on both sides of the fault within a high‐resolution time‐frame established by biostratigraphy and physical stratigraphy. Our example is the Ornon normal fault bounding the Early Jurassic Bourg‐d'Oisans Basin formed during Tethyan rifting. We show that motion on the fault was discontinuous when examined at high resolution and over a long time interval. During a first interval (Hettangian to Sinemurian Arietites bucklandi zone) a low rate of displacement (=202–423 m Myr^?1) coeval with diffused extensional deformation throughout the sedimentary basin is observed. A second interval of localized deformation (Early Sinemurian Caenisites turneri zone) is characterized by higher rates of displacement on the fault (1846 m Myr^?1). Our results concur with recent numerical models identifying the main stages of extensional deformation.     

Seismic observations at an overstep of the western North Anatolian Fault (Abant–Sapanca region, Turkey)

The course of the active North Anatolian Fault system from Lake Abant to Lake Sapanca was traced by its high micro-earthquake activity. If approaching from the east this section includes a broad south to north overstep (fault offset) of the main fault. Local seismicity has been recorded in this area by a semi-permanent network of 8 stations since 1985 within the frame of the Turkish–German Joint Project for Earthquake Research. The effect of the overstep and its complex fracture kinematics are reflected by the seismicity distribution, the variations of composite fault-plane solutions, and by the spatial coda-Q distribution. Areas of different stress orientation can be distinguished and assigned to different groups of faults. The stresses and the tectonic pattern only in part correspond to a simple model of an extensional overstep and its correlative pull-apart basin. Other types of deformation involved are characterized by normal faulting on faults parallel to the general course of the main strike-slip fault and by synthetic strike-slip faults oriented similar to Riedel shears. Shear deformation by this fault group widely distributed in an area north and east of the main fault line may play an important role in the evolution of the overstep. The development of a pull-apart basin is inhibited along the eastern half of the overstep and compatibility of both strands of the main fault (Bolu–Lake Abant and Lake Sapanca– Izmit–Marmara Sea) seems to be achieved with the aid of the fault systems mentioned. The extension of the missing part of the pull-apart basin seems to be displaced to positions remote from the Lake Abant–Lake Sapanca main fault line, i.e. to the Akyaz?–Düzce basin tract. Highest Q-values (lowest attenuation of seismic waves) were found in the zone of highest seismicity north and west of the overstep which is the zone of strongest horizontal tension. If high coda-Q is an indicator for strong scattering of seismic waves it might be related to extensional opening of fractures.     

江苏宜兴东岭逆冲断层带的构造地球化学特征研究

宜兴东岭逆冲断层带是一条脆性剪切带，断层带内不同变形程度的断层岩在构造地球化学特征上有明显的集散规律，随着岩石变形程度的增加，SiO2的含量相对降低，除FeO以外的其它主元素和除Li以外的微量元素则相对富集，即在断层岩变形过程中，SiO2自变形相对强烈的断层带中心向两侧的硅化带迁移，除FeO和Li之外的其它主元素和微量元素则自断层带两侧向中心迁移。这种迁移趋势是受各元素本身构造地球化学特性所制约。     

Mechanical relation between crustal rheology,effective fault friction,and strike-slip partitioning among the Xiaojiang fault system,southeastern Tibet

The north–south trending Xiaojiang fault system accommodates ～10–12 mm/yr sinistral motions between southeastern Tibet and south China. In the south segment, the fault system composes mainly of four parallel strike-slip faults, namely from west to east, the Luzhijiang fault, the Yimen fault, the Puduhe fault, and the Xiaojiang fault. Geological and Seismological observations have shown that these strike-slip faults are all of active, while the slip rates of the Luzhijiang, the Yimen, and the Puduhe faults are much less than that of the Xiaojiang fault. We use finite element modeling to explore the mechanical relation between crustal rheology, effective fault friction and long-term slip rate partitioning among the four parallel faults. The individual faults are simplified as vertical discontinuities embedded in the crust as geophysical explorations have predicted. A large number of models are tested, associating with variations of the crustal rheolohy and the effective fault friction of individual faults. Result shows that if crust bounding the faults trends to behave like rigid blocks and decoupled mechanically from underlying layer, the modeled result is hard to approximate slip rates of the individual faults. To better fit slip rates of the individual faults, viscous deformation of the lower crust should be included. With a heterogeneously viscous lower-crust model that is built upon thermal structure of the heat flow data, associating with relatively low effective friction of the Xiaojiang fault, the modeled results fit the geological slip rates well, with ～1–1.5 mm/yr for the Luzhijiang, the Yimen and the Puduhe faults, and ～6–6.5 mm/yr for the Xiaojiang fault. Thus, in the southward movement of the Tibetan plateau around the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, slip partitioning among the Xiaojiang fault system should be related to viscous deformation of the lower crust associated with different strength of the individual faults, highlighting that deformation of this fault system is coupled mechanically between the frictional upper crust and the viscous lower crust.