A synthesis: Late Cenozoic stress field distribution at northeastern corner of the Eastern Mediterranean,SE Turkey

Fault kinematic analysis and inversion of focal mechanisms of shallow earthquakes reveal significant evolution of the regional stress regime in the northeastern most corner of the Eastern Mediterranean region since the Mio-Pliocene to the present time. This study was carried out in the interaction area between the Arabian/African plates and the Anatolian block. The evolution of stress regimes consists of a change from older transpression to younger transtension. Both strike-slip stress regimes having a NNW- to northwest-trending σ_Hmax (σ₁) and ENE- to northeast-trending σ_Hmin (σ₃) axes induce a sinistral component of displacement on the major intra-continental Karatas–Osmaniye and Misis–Ceyhan faults elongated with the northeast-trending Misis Range between Adana and Osmaniye provinces (sub-area i) and by a NNE-trending plate boundary Amanos fault running along Amanos Range between Antakya and Kahramanmaras provinces (sub-area ii). The inversion results show that the transtensional stress regime is dominantly strike-slip to extension, with an ENE- to northeast-trending σ_Hmin (σ₃) axis for sub-areas (i) and (ii), respectively. The inversions of earthquake focal mechanisms indicate that the transtensional stress regime is still active in the whole study area since probably recent Quaternary time. To cite this article: S. Over et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Hydrogeochemical investigation in an arid region of Iran (Tabas, Central Iran)

Groundwater is the most important source of water supply in Iran and understanding the geochemical evolution of groundwater is important for sustainable development of the water resources in Tabas area. A total of 29 samples of groundwater in Tabas area have been analyzed for ions and major elements. Groundwater of the study area is characterized by the dominance of Na–Cl water type. Groundwater was generally acidic to high alkaline with pH ranging from 5.42 to 10.75. The TDS as a function of mineralization characteristics of the groundwater ranged from 479 to 10,957 mg/l, with a mean value of 2,759 mg/l. The Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, SO₄ ^2? and HCO₃ ^? were mainly derived from the dissolution of calcite, dolomite and gypsum. The Cu, Pb and Zn ions are not mobile in recent pH–Eh, but these conditions controlled dissolved Se, V and Mo in groundwater. The As is released in groundwater as a result of the weathering of sulfide minerals like arsenopyrite.     

Compressive Tectonics around Tibetan Plateau Edges

Various earthquake fault types, mechanism solutions, stress field, and other geophysical data were analyzed for study on the crust movement in the Tibetan plateau and its tectonic implications. The results show that numbers of thrust fault and strike-slip fault type earthquakes with strong compressive stress near NNE-SSW direction occurred in the edges around the plateau except the eastern boundary. Some normal faulting type earthquakes concentrate in the Central Tibetan plateau. The strikes of fault planes of thrust and strike-slip faulting earthquakes are almost in the E-W direction based on the analyses of the Wulff stereonet diagrams of fault plane solutions. This implies that the dislocation slip vectors of the thrust and strike-slip faulting type events have quite great components in the N-S direction. The compression motion mainly probably plays the tectonic active regime around the plateau edges. The compressive stress in N-S or NE-SW directions predominates earthquake occurrence in the thrust and strike-slip faulting event region around the plateau. The compressive motion around the Tibetan plateau edge is attributable to the northward motion of the Indian subcontinent plate. The northward motion of the Tibetan plateau shortened in the N-S direction encounters probably strong obstructions at the western and northern margins.     

Plio-Quaternary stress states in NE Iran: Kopeh Dagh and Allah Dagh-Binalud mountain ranges

NE Iran, including the Kopeh Dagh and Allah Dagh-Binalud deformation domains, comprises the northeastern boundary of the Arabia–Eurasia collision zone. This study focuses on the evolution of the Plio-Quaternary tectonic regimes of northeast Iran. We present evidence for drastic temporal changes in the stress state by inversion of both geologically and seismically determined fault slip vectors. The inversions of fault kinematics data reveal distinct temporal changes in states of stress during the Plio-Quaternary (since ～ 5 Ma). The paleostress state is characterized by a regional transpressional tectonic regime with a mean N140 ± 10°E trending horizontal maximum stress axis (σ₁). The youngest (modern) state of stress shows two distinct strike-slip and compressional tectonic regimes with a regional mean of N030 ± 15°E trending horizontal σ₁. The change from the paleostress to modern stress states has occurred through an intermediate stress field characterized by a mean regional N trending σ₁. The inversion analysis of earthquake focal mechanisms reveals a homogeneous, transpressional tectonic regime with a regional N023 ± 5°E trending σ₁. The modern stress state, deduced from the youngest fault kinematics data, is in close agreement with the present-day stress state given by the inversions of earthquake focal mechanisms. According to our data and the deduced results, in northeast Iran, the Arabia–Eurasia convergence is taken up by strike-slip faulting along NE trending left-lateral and NNW trending right-lateral faults, as well as reverse to oblique-slip reverse faulting along NW trending faults. Such a structural assemblage is involved in a mechanically compatible and homogeneous modern stress field. This implies that no strain and/or stress partitioning or systematic block rotations have occurred in the Kopeh Dagh and Allah Dagh-Binalud deformation domains. The Plio-Quaternary stress changes documented in this paper call into question the extrapolation of the present-day seismic and GPS-derived deformation rates over geological time intervals encompassing tens of millions of years.     

Stress tensor and focal mechanisms along the Dead Sea fault and related structural elements based on seismological data

The Dead Sea fault is among the largest active strike–slip fault of the world. This study is focused on the southern part of this fault, from the Sea of Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba, as monitored mainly by the Jordanian and Israeli seismic networks. The data of arrival times and polarities allowed relocation of earthquakes with a better azimuthal coverage and computation of focal mechanisms. This last step has been realized by inverting the polarities to determine a unique stress tensor for the region and the compatible focal mechanisms. Inversion with different subsets of the data set, based on tectonic regionalization, has also been performed to evaluate the impact of each cluster of earthquakes on the global solution. The population of focal mechanisms is clearly dominated by strike–slip events, with the notable exception of a cluster of earthquakes, south of the Dead Sea, which displays several normal focal mechanisms. This last cluster forces σ₁ to be vertical and σ₂ to be horizontal. A large number of fault planes, however, are close to the vertical, inhibiting the action of the vertical component of the stress tensor, and acting like under strike–slip stress regime. We observed a good agreement between the location of the earthquakes and the active faults, based on geological data. In addition, there is a good agreement between the fault plane solutions and the orientation of the active faults.     

Depth dependency of stress ratios during the sedimentation of NW Gyeongsang Basin (Cretaceous), southeast Korea: Estimate of stress parameters and timing of tectonic episodes

The natural stress state in the lithosphere consists of the vertical load and Poisson ratio, and then additional horizontal compression and extension (denoted by Δσ_H and Δσ_T, respectively) are assumed to be superimposed upon this gravitational stress field. The resulting stress state is composed of the maximum, medium and minimum stresses denoted by σ₁, σ₂, and σ₃, respectively. The stress ratio is given as Φ = (σ₂ − σ₃)/(σ₁ − σ₃). A linear relation is found between Φ or 1/Φ and the vertical load in wrench-faulting and extensional stress regimes, respectively. The slope and intercept of the linear relation result in the additional horizontal stresses and level of (average) paleo-surface, respectively. Stress ratio is also determinable by the stress tensor inversion of fault-slip data. The earliest tectonic event (T_1 Event) in the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin consists of coexisting E–W compression and N–S extensional faulting episodes. Plots of Φ or 1/Φ against the burial depth (or vertical load) display several linear trends: two clusters in extensional episodes, and two or three clusters in wrench-faulting episodes. Because Δσ_H is assumed to be null or negligible in the extensional regime, Δσ_T is determinable from the slopes of two linear clusters as being −2.5 to −4.0 MPa. In wrench-faulting episodes, the values of Δσ_H are given to be 61.6–101.4 MPa by applying determined additional horizontal extensions. Determined levels of average paleo-surfaces and those of syndepostional structures illustrate that more than five wrench-faulting or extensional episodes have occurred during the T_1 Event, whose active age, consequently, ranges from the Barremian to the Coniacian. This supports that the coexisting coaxial faulting episodes with the same extension may correspond to the alternation of wrench-faulting and extensional episodes.     

Is earthquake activity along the French Atlantic margin favoured by local rheological contrasts?

The seismological study of recent seismic crises near Oleron Island confirms the coexistence of an extensional deformation and a transtensive regime in the Atlantic margin of France, which is different from the general western European stress field corresponding to a strike-slip regime. We argue that the switch of the principal stress axes σ₁/σ₂ in a NW–SE vertical plane is linked with the existence of crustal heterogeneities. Events of magnitude larger than 5 sometimes occur along the Atlantic margin of France, such as the 7 September 1972 (M_L = 5.2) earthquake near Oleron island and the 30 September 2002 (M_L = 5.7) Hennebont event in Brittany. To test the mechanism of local strain localization, we model the deformation of the hypocentral area of the Hennebont earthquake using a 3D thermo-mechanical finite element code. We conclude that the occurrence of moderate earthquakes located in limited parts of the Hercynian shear zones (as the often reactivated swarms near Oleron) could be due to local reactivation of pre-existing faults. These sporadic seismic ruptures are favoured by stress concentration due to rheological heterogeneities.     

A Study on Crack Damage Stress Thresholds of Different Rock Types Based on Uniaxial Compression Tests

When rock samples are loaded until macroscopic fractures develop, the failure process can be divided into several stages based on axial and lateral strain responses or the acoustic emission sequence during uniaxial compression tests. Several stress thresholds may be identified: the crack closure stress σ _cc, crack initiation stress σ _ci, crack damage stress σ _cd, and uniaxial compressive strength σ _ucs; these may be used as a warning indicator for rock rupture. We investigated the crack damage stress σ _cd, its threshold, and a possible relationship between σ _cd and the uniaxial compressive strength. The σ _cd of different rock types were compiled from previous studies based on uniaxial compression tests. The results showed that the overall averages and standard deviations of σ _cd /σ _ucs for igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks were ~0.78 (±0.11), ~0.85 (±0.11), and ~0.73 (±0.18), respectively. There were no significant differences in σ _cd /σ _ucs between the different rock types, except that the sedimentary rock had a slightly larger standard deviation attributed to the variation of porosity in the samples, while the metamorphic rock had higher average σ _cd /σ _ucs resulting from the small statistical sample size. By excluding the higher-porosity (>10 %) rock samples, the averages and standard deviations of σ _cd /σ _ucs for igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks were ~0.78 (±0.09), ~0.85 (±0.09), and ~0.78 (±0.11), respectively. The results imply that the rock origin process (i.e., igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary) has a minimal effect on σ _cd /σ _ucs. The ratio σ _cd/σ _ucs could be an essential intrinsic property for low-porosity rocks, which could be used in rock engineering for predicting the failure process.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation on the compression behavior of sand-marine clay mixtures within homogenization framework

In this paper, the compression behavior of sand-marine clay mixtures was investigated, both experimentally and theoretically. The test data reveal that the Normal Compression Line of a sand-clay mixture depends on both the sand fraction and the initial water content of the clay matrix. The local stress in the clay matrix σ′_c is approximately close to the overall stress of the sand-clay mixture σ′ for a sand mass fraction of 20%. The stress ratio, σ′_c/σ′, falls significantly with increasing overall stress for a sand fraction of 60%, which may be attributed to the formation of clay bridges between adjacent sand particles. A compression model was formulated within the homogenization framework. First, a homogenization equation was proposed, which gives a relationship between the overall stiffness E and that of the clay matrix Ec. Then, a model parameter ξ was incorporated considering the sensitivity of the structure parameter on the volume fraction of the clay matrix. Finally, a simple compression model with three model parameters was formulated using the tangent stiffness. Comparisons between the experimental data and simulations reveal that the proposed model can well represent the compression curves of the sand-marine clay mixtures observed in the laboratory.     

Analysis of the stress regime and tectonic evolution of the Azerbaijan Plateau,Northwestern Iran

The increasing number of earthquakes in recent decades in Northwestern Iran and the determination of the epicenters of these events makes possible to estimate accurately the changing tectonic regime using the Win-Tensor inversion focal mechanism program. For this purpose focal mechanism data were collected from various sources, including the Centroid Moment Tensor catalog (CMT). The focal mechanism and fault slip data were analyzed to determine change in the stress field up to the present day. The results showed that two stages of brittle deformation occurred in the region. The first stage was related to Eocene compression in NE–SW direction, which created compressional structures with NW–SE strike, including the North and South Bozgush, south Ahar and Gushedagh thrust belts. The second brittle stage began in the Miocene with NW–SE compression and caused developing thrusts with N–S trends that were active presently. These stress regimes were created by the counter-clockwise rotation of the Azerbaijan plateau caused by movement on strike slip faults and continuous compression between the Arabian plate, the south Caspian basin and the Caucasus region. Pliocene-Quaternary activity of the Sabalan and Sahand volcanoes as well as recent earthquakes occurred as a result of this displacement and rotational movement. The abundance of hot springs in the Ardebil, Hero Abad and Bostanabad areas also bore witness to this activity.     

A tectono-stratigraphic record of an extensional basin: the Lower Jurassic Ab-Haji Formation of east-central Iran

The Lower Jurassic Ab-Haji Formation consists of siliciclastic strata which are widespread and superbly exposed across the Tabas and Lut blocks of east-central Iran. The formation records the geodynamic history of central Iran during the Early Jurassic in the aftermath of the main Cimmerian event (near the Triassic–Jurassic boundary) through its sedimentary facies and stratigraphic architecture and allows palaeogeographic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. We measured and studied three well-exposed outcrop sections and identified lithofacies and facies associations (fluvial plain, delta plain, delta front, prodelta, and shallow-marine siliciclastic shelf). The integration of all geological, stratigraphic, and sedimentological data shows a west-to-east continental-to-marine gradient within the Ab-Haji Formation. Based on thickness variations, lateral facies changes, palaeocurrent patterns, and changes in the nature of the basal contact of the Ab-Haji Formation on the Tabas and Lut blocks, we locate the fault-bounded Yazd Block in the west and the Shotori Swell at the eastern edge of the Tabas Block as provenance regions. The pattern of thickness variations, rapid east–west facies changes, and provenance is best explained by a tectonic model invoking large tilted fault blocks in an extensional basin. The basal unit shows distinct increase in grain size at the base of the Ab-Haji Formation, similar to the Shemshak Group of the Alborz Mountains (the base of the Alasht Formation) and the non-marine time-equivalent succession of the Binalud Mountains of northeastern Iran. This grain size pattern may have been caused by rapid source area uplift due to slab break-off of the subducted Iran plate in the course of the Cimmerian collision in east-central Iran.     

Structural style and fault kinematics of the Lower Eocene Rus Formation at Jabal Hafit area,Al Ain,United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The current contribution presents aspects of the structural style and fault kinematics of the Rus Formation that expose at Jabal Hafit, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Although the major structure of Jabal Hafit is an anticlinal fold, fractures (joints and faults) are the prominent structure of the study area. The fractures can be interpreted as the distributed effect of deep-seated basement fault reactivation or to be as reactivation of deep-seated basement faults. These fractures were created during two main tectonic stress regimes. The first is a WNW–ESE S _Hmax strike-slip stress regime, responsible for producing E–W to ESE–WNW joints and E–W dextral strike-slip and NNE–SSW reverse faults. This stress is interpreted to be post-Early Eocene in age and related to the second phase of thrusting in the Oman Mountains in the Miocene. The second stress regime is a NNE–SSW S _Hmax transtensional (strike-slip extensive) stress regime that was responsible for N–S to NNE–SSW striking joints and NE–SW sinistral strike-slip and N–S normal faults. This regime is interpreted to be post-Middle Eocene in age. This stress was the response to the collision of the Arabian–Eurasian Plates which began during the Late Eocene and continues to the present day.     

Detailed comparison of nine intact rock failure criteria using polyaxial intact coal strength data obtained through PFC<Superscript>3D</Superscript> simulations

Study of intact rock failure criteria is an important topic in rock mechanics. In this study, applicability of nine different intact rock failure criteria is investigated for intact coal strength data. PFC^3D modeling was used to simulate the laboratory polyaxial tests for cubic intact coal blocks of side dimension 110 mm under different confining stress combinations. A modified grid search procedure is proposed and used to find the best-fitting parameter values and to calculate the coefficient of determination (R ²) values for each criterion. Detailed comparisons of the nine criteria are made using the following aspects: R ² values, σ ₁ ? σ ₂ plots for different σ ₃, shapes on the deviatoric plane, linearity or nonlinearity on the meridian planes. Through the comparisons of R ² values, σ ₁ ? σ ₂ plots and meridian lines, the modified Wiebols–Cook and modified Lade criteria were found to fit the intact coal strength data best. The nine failure criteria are categorized into three types based on the appearances on the deviatoric plane.     

Quaternary stresses revealed by calcite twinning inversion: insights from observations in the Savonnières underground quarry (eastern France)

Calcite samples were extracted both from the rock matrix and the superficial coating of a karstified fault plane of an underground quarry, located in the eastern border of the Paris basin. The karstification is dated as Quaternary. Analysis of mechanical calcite twinning reveals that only the calcite matrix has also undergone a compression trending WNW that can be attributed to the Mio-Pliocene alpine collision. Both coating and matrix have undergone a strike-slip regime with σ₁ roughly trending north–south, that could correspond to the regional present-day state of stress, a strike-slip compression rather trending NNW, modified by local phenomena. To cite this article: M. Rocher et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Spatial distribution of earthquakes in the Kii peninsula,Japan, south of the Median Tectonic Line

Precise data obtained by a high-sensitivity micro-earthquake observatory network are used to determine simultaneously the crustal structure and the spatial distribution of small earthquakes in the Kii peninsula region, Japan. The spatial distribution of hypocenters thus determined clearly shows two distinct groups of earthquakes: (1) a group of shallow (H ? 10 km) earthquakes on the western coast of the Kii peninsula near Wakayama; (2) a group of mantle earthquakes, having a depth ranging from 30 to 70 km and trending NE-SW, in the central part of the Kii peninsula. Along the trend of the second group, a marked structural anomaly is found which suggests the presence of a high-velocity zone at depths below 20 km. A projection of the hypocenters of the earthquakes belonging to the second group onto a vertical plane strikingNW-SE shows a wedge-like distribution to a depth of 70 km. The spatial relation between this wedge-like distribution and the 1944 Tonankai earthquake (M = 8.0) suggests a common tectonic process which is now taking place in the Kii peninsula region. The activity of the earthquakes of the first group terminates abruptly to the north at the Median Tectonic Line. This activity is represented by numerous but relatively small events (M < 5) without any conspicuous major earthquakes in history. It is suggested that the strength of the crust in this region of shallow activity is too weak to sustain stresses large enough to be released in a major event; rather, the stresses which probably originate from the tectonic activity represented by the earthquakes of the second group are released by numerous minor fracturings of the low-strength crust. A possibility of using the weak crust for detecting a remote stress accumulation is suggested.     

The tectonic stress field and deformation pattern of northeast India,the Bengal basin and the Indo-Burma Ranges: A numerical approach

We performed numerical simulations to determine the contemporary maximum horizontal compressive stress (σ_Hmax) in the northeast India region, the Bengal basin (Bangladesh), and the adjoining Indo-Burma Ranges, with different boundary conditions. The regional tectonic stress was simulated using the finite element method (FEM) under the plane stress condition. Most of the study areas show NE–SW regional stress orientation, which is consistent with other stress indicators, such as earthquake focal mechanism solutions. The E–W trending Dauki fault, which separates the Shillong plateau to the north from the Bengal basin to the south, plays a major role in the stress distribution and regional deformation. This fault alone accommodates ～25% of the regional surface displacement rate of the study area. The fault pattern of the study area was also simulated using rheological parameters and the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion. The simulated results reproduce the observed tectonic state of the area, including a strike-slip regime along the Dauki fault, in the southwestern part of the Bengal basin, and in the Tripura fold belt areas. The modeling indicates that the Brahmaputra valley to the north of the Shillong plateau and to the south of the Himalayan frontal thrust exhibits thrust/reverse faulting with a strike-slip component, and in the Indo-Burma Ranges, strike-slip faulting is predominant with a reverse fault component.     

Geometric and kinematic analysis of structural elements along north front of Bagharan Kuh Mountain,NE Iran

At the end of the western part of Bagharan Kuh Mountain in the northeast of Iran, mountain growth has been stopped toward the west because of the stress having been consumed by the thrusting movements and region rising instead of shear movement. Chahkand fault zone is situated at the western part of this mountain; this fault zone includes several thrust sheets that caused upper cretaceous ophiolite rocks up to younger units, peridotite exposure and fault related fold developing in the surface. In transverse perpendicular to the mountain toward the north, reduction in the parameters like faults dip, amount of deformation, peridotite outcrops show faults growth sequence and thrust sheets growth from mountain to plain, thus structural vergence is toward the northeast in this fault zone. Deformation in the east part of the region caused fault propagation fold with axial trend of WNW-ESE that is compatible with trending of fault plane. In the middle part, two types of folds is observed; in the first type, folding occurred before faulting and folds was cut by back thrust activity; in the second type, faults activity caused fault related folds with N60-90W axial trend. In order to hanging wall strain balance, back thrusts have been developed in the middle and western part which caused popup and fault bend folds with N20-70E trend. Back thrusts activity formed footwall synclines, micro folds, foliations, and uplift in this part of the region. Kinematic analysis of faults show stress axis σ₁ = N201.6, 7, σ₂ = N292.6, 7.1, σ₃ = N64.8, 79.5; stress axis obtained by fold analysis confirm that minimum stress (σ₃) is close to vertical so it is compatible with fault analysis. Based on the results, deformation in this region is controlled by compressional stress regime. This stress state is consistent with the direction of convergence between the Arabian and Eurasian plates. Also study of transposition, folded veins, different movements on the fault planes and back thrusts confirm the progressive deformation is dominant in this region that it increases from the east to the west.     

Distribution rule of the in situ stress state and its influence on the permeability of a coal reservoir in the southern Qinshui Basin,China

The recent development of the coalbed methane (CBM) industry has a significant role in advancing hydraulic fracturing theory and technology. However, further development requires a better understanding of how fractures influence reservoir permeability. In situ stress data from 54 CBM wells in the southern Qinshui Basin, China, were obtained by the injection/falloff test method to analyse the effect of in situ stress on the permeability of the CBM reservoir. The types of in situ stress states were classified, and the coal reservoir permeability under different in situ stress states was analysed. The results indicate that the maximum horizontal principal stress (σ_H), minimum horizontal principal stress (σ_h) and vertical principal stress (σ_v) all have positive linear relationships with the coal seam burial depth. Three in situ stress states were observed from the shallow to deep regions of the CBM reservoir in the study area: σ_H?>?σ_h?>?σ_v, σ_H?>?σ_v?>?σ_h and σ_v?>?σ_H?>?σ_h, which account for 9, 76 and 15% of the test wells, respectively. Coal reservoir permeability decreases with increasing horizontal principal stress, whereas it first decreases with increasing σ_v, then increases and finally decreases. The variation in permeability with σ_v is due to the conversion of the in situ stress states. Coal reservoir permeability has obvious differences under different in situ stress states. The permeability is the largest when σ_v?>?σ_H?>?σ_h, followed by σ_H?>?σ_h?>?σ_v and smallest when σ_H?>?σ_v?>?σ_h. The permeability differences are caused by the fracture propagation shape of the rock strata under different in situ stress states.     

Damage and Permeability Development in Coal During Unloading

One of the key issues in protective seam mining is the pressure relief and permeability improvement effect. In this paper, the results of X-ray CT scanning experiments and permeability experiments using reconstituted coal specimens subjected to the same stress path and the same effective confining pressure (confining pressure minus pore pressure) are combined using the stress–strain relationship to study the damage to reconstituted coal specimens and its influence on permeability during the unloading process. When the effective confining pressure (σ ₃ ? p) is unloaded from 8 to 6 MPa and the deviatoric stress increases, the damage variables will increase by 0.0351 and 0.084, respectively, compared with the unloading point under the fixed axial displacement with unloading confining pressure (FADUCP) and fixed deviatoric stress with unloading confining pressure (FDSUCP) stress paths. At the same time, the permeability increased by 1.7 and 16.7 %, respectively. Therefore, the damage variable and permeability increased notably little in this process. After the effective confining pressure is unloaded to approximately 5 MPa, together with the decrease in the deviatoric stress, the growth of the damage variable and permeability begins to accelerate. In addition, the relative decrease in the deviatoric stress with appearing damage cracks, and the relative increase in permeability with the same amount of effective confining pressure being unloaded, shows that the damage to specimens under the FDSUCP stress path is larger than that from the FADUCP stress path.     

Ductile-to-brittle transition in shear during thrust sheet emplacement,Southern Appalachian thrust belt

Mesoscopic structures in anchimetamorphic (T = 200–300°C) strata of the Pulaski thrust sheet, Southern Appalachian thrust belt, developed in progressive, heterogeneous simple shear near the ductile-to-brittle transition. Shear (γ≤3) was localized in weak, anisotropic pelitic rocks (Rome Formation) along the base of this 5–11 km thick thrust sheet. Folds, which vary from upright and open to isoclinal and NW-facing, developed during ductile shearing and display a correlation between tightness and axial-surface dip. Movement along brecciated thrust zones, which evolved progressively from zones of greatest ductile strain, resulted in low-angle truncation of fold axis trends, coaxial refolding of earlier structures, and imbrication of the thrust sheet.Transient variations in fluid pressure (P_f) controlled the mechanical behavior of the thrust sheet. Systematic veins imply P_f >σ₃ + T (T = tensile strength) during ductile deformation, whereas later non-systematic vein arrays in high strain zones record periods of nearly hydrostatic stress. Elevated P_f, which led to fracturing, dilation, and fault initiation, appears confined to pelitic zones within the Rome Formation. This, coupled with decreasing temperature, resulted in the transition from ductile folding to brittle thrusting. Changing physical conditions probably reflect erosional unroofing during uplift and late Paleozoic thrust sheet emplacement.