New insights in the development of syn‐depositional fractures in rimmed flat‐topped carbonate platforms,Neogene carbonate complexes,Sorbas Basin,SE Spain

The formation of syn‐depositional fractures in carbonate platforms is considered an important feature in the understanding of platform evolution. This study investigates the mechanisms of fracture formation in rimmed flat‐topped carbonate platforms in the very well‐exposed Cariatiz Miocene Fringing Reef Unit, SE Spain. Fracture data were obtained using a combination of LIDAR and field mapping techniques, which proved useful in understanding general fracture trends. The morphological expression of fracture sets, preferred fracture localization, crosscutting relationships and fracture fill are characteristics that provide constraints on the timing of fracture formation and opening. Three dominant fracture populations were identified, amongst which a margin parallel and a margin perpendicular fracture set. Margin parallel fractures localize around the platform margin and form vertically extensive dikes that crosscut facies boundaries. The sedimentary fill of such fractures suggests syn‐depositional fracture formation under marine conditions. Together, fracture characteristics suggest a gravitational driver for the formation of tensile stress and the development of margin parallel fractures along the platform edge. Margin perpendicular structures form sub‐vertical dikes and fracture corridors. Margin perpendicular fractures localize on the platform slope and show two types of fracture fill, indicating marine and continental origins. Based on variations of fracture morphology along the carbonate platform, fracture localization, petrographic analysis of sedimentary fill and stable isotope analysis on sparite cements, we suggest a gravitational control on the formation of these fractures. Two mechanisms for the formation of subvertical margin perpendicular fractures are proposed: (1) principal stress rotation as a result of downslope loading. (2) Differential compaction over buried gulley systems on antecedent clinoform slopes. We suggest that the formation of sub‐vertical margin perpendicular fractures might be a systematic feature in slopes of flat‐topped carbonate platforms.     

Fractures and drainage in the granite mountainous area: A study from Sierra Nevada,USA

This paper provides an analysis of relationships between drainage patterns and fractures in the part of Sierra Nevada, California, north of the Yosemite Valley. Bedrock is Cretaceous granite and cut by numerous lineaments of various orientation, length and geomorphic expression. We have mapped fractures and drainage lines from aerial photographs, 1:40 000 scale, in four test areas ranging in size from 32.5 to 266 km². Azimuths are shown on rose diagrams for fractures and drainage lines and then visually and statistically compared. The coincidence of drainage and fracture patterns is strong, which implies causal relationships. In plan, the majority of valleys follow fractures even if this locally means a different orientation in respect to the regional slope arising from tectonic tilt of the range. Main streams occupy deeply incised troughs coincident with ‘master fractures’ of regional extent. Among two principal fracture directions, SSW–NNE to SW–NE and WSW–ENE, the former exerts more control on the drainage lines. The presence of a central zone of structural weakness within the major valleys provided significant constraints for the course of glacial erosion and may explain why multiple Pleistocene glaciers did not succeed in transforming valley cross-sections into expected U-shapes.     

Differential compaction and early rock fracturing in high‐relief carbonate platforms: numerical modelling of a Triassic case study (Esino Limestone,Central Southern Alps,Italy)

Numerical models were used to investigate the effects of differential compaction on strain development and early fracturing in an early cemented high‐relief Triassic carbonate platform prograding onto basinal sediments, whose thickness increases basinward. Results show that basinal sediment compaction induces stretching of internal platform and slope strata in prograding platforms. When sediments are early cemented, such extensional strain is accommodated by the generation of syndepositional fractures. The amount of stretching is predicted to increase from the oldest to the youngest layers, due to the thickening of the compactable basinal sequences towards the external parts of the platform. Stretching is also controlled by the characteristics of the basin: the thicker and the more compactable the basinal sediments, the larger will be the stretching. Numerical modelling has been applied to the Ladinian–Early Carnian carbonate platform of the Esino Limestone (Central Southern Alps of Italy). This case study is favourable for numerical modelling, as it is well exposed and both its internal geometry (inner platform, reef and prograding clinostratified slope deposits) and the relationship with the adjacent basin can be fully reconstructed, as the Alpine tectonic overprint is weak in the study area. Evidence for early fracturing (fractures filled by fibrous cements coeval with the platform development) is described and the location, orientation and width of the fractures measured. The fractures are mainly steeply dipping and oriented perpendicularly to the direction of progradation of the platform, mimicking local platform‐margin trends. The integration of numerical models with field data gives the opportunity to quantify the extension triggered by differential compaction and predict the possible distribution of early fractures in carbonate platforms of known geometry and thickness, whereas the interpretation of early fractures as the effects of differential compaction can be supported or rejected by the comparison with the results of ad hoc numerical modelling.     

Seismic waves in rocks with fluids and fractures

Seismic wave propagation through the earth is often strongly affected by the presence of fractures. When these fractures are filled with fluids (oil, gas, water, CO₂, etc.), the type and state of the fluid (liquid or gas) can make a large difference in the response of the seismic waves. This paper summarizes recent work on methods of deconstructing the effects of fractures, and any fluids within these fractures, on seismic wave propagation as observed in reflection seismic data. One method explored here is Thomsen's weak anisotropy approximation for wave moveout (since fractures often induce elastic anisotropy due to non-uniform crack-orientation statistics). Another method makes use of some very convenient crack/fracture parameters introduced previously that permit a relatively simple deconstruction of the elastic and wave propagation behaviour in terms of a small number of crack-influence parameters (whenever this is appropriate, as is certainly the case for small crack densities). Then, the quantitative effects of fluids on these crack-influence parameters are shown to be directly related to Skempton's coefficient B of undrained poroelasticity (where B typically ranges from 0 to 1). In particular, the rigorous result obtained for the low crack density limit is that the crack-influence parameters are multiplied by a factor  (1 − B )  for undrained systems. It is also shown how fracture anisotropy affects Rayleigh wave speed, and how measured Rayleigh wave speeds can be used to infer shear wave speed of the fractured medium in some cases. Higher crack density results are also presented by incorporating recent simulation data on such cracked systems.     

The effect of syndepositional deformation within the Upper Permian Capitan Platform on the speleogenesis and geomorphology of the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, USA

The Guadalupe Mountains in New Mexico and Texas are home to more than 300 caves. Caves have been formed within the Upper Permian Capitan carbonate platform and are oriented along two structural trends, one of which is parallel to the platform margin and the other of which is roughly perpendicular to it. Our recent studies of the Capitan Platform have identified syndepositional faults associated with growth monoclines and synclines in Slaughter Canyon, New Mexico, and these are also parallel to the platform margin. In this study, we demonstrate that syndepositional faults and folds are also present in Rattlesnake and Walnut Canyons, as much as 19 km along strike, and that they have exerted control on karstification of the Guadalupe Mountains from the Upper Permian until present.Three distinctive episodes of karst formation have been recognised in outcrops on the basis of karst-filling deposits and crosscutting relationships. The syndepositional “Phase 1 karst” was formed along syndepositional faults and fractures and is filled by platform-derived sediments. The burial “Phase 2 karst” is filled by post-Permian siliciclastics and is limited to the youngest syndepositional faults and fractures that penetrate the platform in the proximity of its terminal margin. Connectivity of these youngest faults and fractures to the platform top and the overlying stratigraphy is inferred to have controlled the distribution of the Phase 2 karst. The “Phase 3 karst” includes the present cave systems, which were mainly formed by sulphuric acid produced by mixing of fossil and fresh underground waters in conjunction with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains in the Late Tertiary, and have since been modified by vadose karst processes. The Phase 3 karst caves are not solely developed along syndepositional faults and fractures as the earlier karst palaeocaverns are, but also follow another, uplift-related, structural trend.Syndepositional folds, faults, and fractures in the Capitan Platform have influenced the shaping of the modern surface geomorphology of the Guadalupe Mountains by controlling drainage and, hence, erosion. Trellis drainage parallel to the platform margin is developed where syndepositional folds, faults, and fractures occur. The morphology of the trellis drainage varies systematically across the range in response to the character of the deformation structures and karst features along which the drainage channels have developed.     

Curvature analysis as a tool for subsidence-related risk zones identification in the city of Tuzla (BiH)

Shallow Miocene salt deposits located below the city of Tuzla (BiH) have been exploited during the last 60 years by means of wells extracting salt-saturated groundwater brines. The massive extraction activities have led to severe subsidence accommodated by collapse and strain localization. Surface topography and geomorphology have been influenced and modified by several faults and fractures.A series of sequential topographical survey data collected during the last 50 years have been used to obtain the total subsidence envelope surface. In order to analyze the salt dissolution-related morphological development of the Tuzla topography and to identify the location of faults and fractures in the deformed area, we applied curvature analysis to the subsidence surface by means of two different analytical methods: the directional, two-dimensional curvature and the analytic Gaussian curvature. The comparison of the curvature maps with those of surface fractures visible in the area shows a good spatial agreement between the directional curvature and fracture intensity, whereas the subsurface normal faults are more evident in the Gaussian curvature maps.     

Jökulhlaup-related Ice Fracture and Supraglacial Water Release During the November 1996 Jökulhlaup, Skeiðarárjökull, Iceland

During the initial stages of the November 1996 jökulhlaup at Skeiðarárjökull, Iceland, floodwaters burst onto the glacier surface via a series of fractures. This supraglacial drainage led to the formation of a number of distinct ice surface depressions, one of which is investigated in detail. The morphology and structural characteristics of this feature are described, as well as the sedimentology of an associated assemblage of debris-filled fractures. This work suggests that debris-charged subglacial floodwaters travelled up to the glacier surface, where supraglacial flow occurred initially via an extensive network of fractures, orientated parallel to the glacier margin. Supraglacial discharge became progressively more focused into a series of discrete outlets, leading to the mechanical erosion of a number of depressions on the glacier surface. The associated transfer of subglacially derived floodwaters to high levels within the glacier resulted in the rapid entrainment of large volumes of sediment which may influence the patterns, processes and products of ice-marginal sedimentation in the future.     

Evaluation of Engineered Geothermal Systems as a Heat Source for Oil Sands Production in Northern Alberta

This paper evaluates the application of geothermal energy by numerically modeling the heat extraction that would result from the injection of cold water into an artificially fractured hot dry rock (HDR). The HDR that would be utilized in Alberta is expected to be granite with a network of pre-existing natural fractures. However, to ensure a continued flow of injected water from the reservoir to the production wells, creation of additional fractures is required. Thus, the properties of these fractures are of prime importance to the efficiency of geothermal energy production. The fracture networks for the simulations were created using a numerical code and were converted into a grid format to be used in a commercial thermal simulator. A new approach to embed a complex fracture system into the numerical model was applied. Various properties of the fractures such as aperture, length, and spacing were changed and their absolute and relative effects on energy production were quantified and the results are presented in this paper. This modeling technique was also verified by comparison with the conventional dual porosity model and by performing a history match with real field data obtained from literature. The applicability of this approach to provide heat for oil sands extraction was investigated using the volumes of water currently needed in northern Alberta. Based on these constraints, numerical simulations were run to evaluate the optimum well spacing that would be required using a three-well configuration. In this simulation, the fracture parameters (density and aperture) were kept fixed assuming that they are not affected by cold water injection. The results of this study suggest that geothermal energy has a potential to be a sustainable form of thermal energy for oil sands extraction in northern Alberta.     

Fracturing and fluid‐flow during post‐rift subsidence in carbonates of the Jandaíra Formation,Potiguar Basin,NE Brazil

Pervasive fracture networks are common in many reservoir‐scale carbonate bodies even in the absence of large deformation and exert a major impact on their mechanical and flow behaviour. The Upper Cretaceous Jandaíra Formation is a few hundred meters thick succession of shallow water carbonates deposited during the early post‐rift stage of the Potiguar rift (NE Brazil). The Jandaíra Formation in the present onshore domain experienced <1.5 km thermal subsidence and, following Tertiary exhumation, forms outcrops over an area of >1000 km². The carbonates have a gentle, <5?, dip to the NE and are affected by few regional, low displacement faults or folds. Despite their simple tectonic history, carbonates display ubiquitous open fractures, sub‐vertical veins, and sub‐vertical as well as sub‐horizontal stylolites. Combining structural analysis, drone imaging, isotope studies and mathematical modelling, we reconstruct the fracturing history of the Jandaíra Formation during and following subsidence and analyse the impact fractures had on coeval fluid flow. We find that Jandaíra carbonates, fully cemented after early diagenesis, experienced negligible deformation during the first few hundreds of meters of subsidence but were pervasively fractured when they reached depths >400–500 m. Deformation was accommodated by a dense network of sub‐vertical mode I and hybrid fractures associated with sub‐vertical stylolites developed in a stress field characterised by a sub‐horizontal σ₁ and sub‐vertical σ₂. The development of a network of hybrid fractures, rarely reported in the literature, activated the circulation of waters charged in the mountainous region, flowing along the porous Açu sandstone underlying the Jandaíra carbonates and rising to the surface through the fractured carbonates. With persisting subsidence, carbonates reached depths of 800–900 m entering a depth interval characterised by a sub‐vertical σ₁. At this stage, sub‐horizontal stylolites developed liberating calcite which sealed the sub‐vertical open fractures transforming them in veins and preventing further flow. During Tertiary exhumation, several of the pre‐existing veins and stylolites opened and became longer, and new fractures were created typically with the same directions of the older features. The simplicity of our model suggests that most rocks in passive margin settings might have followed a similar evolution and thus display similar structures.     

DOUBLE FOURIER SERIES ANALYSIS OF COCKPIT AND DOLINE KARST NEAR BROWNS TOWN,JAMAICA

Double Fourier series models of two doline and two cockpit landscapes in northern Jamaica, each 2 × 2 km in area, explained 92% and 90%, and 73% and 58% of the variance in the topographic data. The ten most significant waves accounted for 74% and 76%, and 61% and 58% of the variance in each model. The greater importance of frequency pairs of longer wavelength in the doline karst models suggests that there are fewer horizontally and vertically persistent bedrock fractures controlling topographic development in the doline areas than in the cockpit terrains—a fact confirmed by fracture-trace mapping. Frequency pair orientations and powers indicate that north-west- and northeast-trending fractures exert a major influence on topographic development in the cockpit terrains and that east-trending fractures are relatively more important in the doline areas. Further studies are needed to determine if Fourier models of the doline, cockpit, and tower karst styles differ in a consistent fashion and to find out to what extent these differences are related to the bedding, fracture, and relief characteristics of the karst bedrock. [Key words: Jamaica, karst, morphometry, double Fourier series, dolines, cockpits.]     

The Origin and Significance of Debris-charged Ridges at the Surface of Storglaciären, Northern Sweden

Storglaciären is a 3.2 km long polythermal valley glacier in northern Sweden. Since 1994 a number of small (1–2 m high) transverse debris‐charged ridges have emerged at the ice surface in the terminal zone of the glacier. This paper presents the results of a combined structural glaciological, isotopic, sedimentological and ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) study of the terminal area of the glacier with the aim of understanding the evolution of these debris‐charged ridges, features which are typical of many polythermal glaciers. The ridges originate from steeply dipping (50–70°) curvilinear fractures on the glacier surface. Here, the fractures contain bands of sediment‐rich ice between 0.2 and 0.4 m thick composed of sandy gravel and diamicton, interpreted as glaciofluvial and basal glacial material, respectively. Structural mapping of the glacier from aerial photography demonstrates that the curvilinear fractures cannot be traced up‐glacier into pre‐existing structures visible at the glacier surface such as crevasses or crevasse traces. These curvilinear fractures are therefore interpreted as new features formed near the glacier snout. Ice adjacent to these fractures shows complex folding, partly defined by variations in ice facies, and partly by disseminated sediment. The isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O) of both coarse‐clear and coarse‐bubbly glacier ice facies is similar to the isotopic composition of the interstitial ice in debris layers that forms the debris‐charged ridges, implying that none of these facies have undergone any significant isotopic fractionation by the incomplete freezing of available water. The GPR survey shows strong internal reflections within the ice beneath the debris‐charged ridges, interpreted as debris layers within the glacier. Overall, the morphology and distribution of the fractures indicate an origin by compressional glaciotectonics near the snout, either at the thermal boundary, where active temperate glacier ice is being thrust over cold stagnant ice near the snout, or as a result of large‐scale recumbent folding in the glacier. Further work is required to elucidate the precise role of each of these mechanisms in elevating the basal glacial and glaciofluvial material to the ice surface.     

Spatial Distribution of Fractures in the Asmari Formation of Iran in Subsurface Environment: Effect of Lithology and Petrophysical Properties

The distribution of fractures and its dependence on lithology and petrophysical properties of rock in the Asmari Formation were examined using three wells data of one of the largest oil fields of southwestern Iran. Fractures were measured on cut cores. Mineral content and petrophysical data were obtained through thin section study and core plug measurement respectively. Influence of mineral composition and petrophysical property of rocks on fracture density was explored statistically. Increasing quartz (sand) and anhydrite content of rocks decrease and dolomite increases the threshold of fracture densities, however no significant relation was observed between calcite content of rock and fracture density. Increasing porosity and permeability of rock decrease the threshold of fracture density in some of the defined lithology groups. There are significant differences between the lithology groups in terms of fracture density, although the results in the three wells are not the same. In whole data, the highest fracture density can be observed in dolostone. Limestone and impure carbonates hold broader spaced fractures and sandstones display the least fracture density. The average fracture densities in the wells are strictly different. These differences are the result of the structural position of the wells and also the trend of the well and fractures. The distribution of fractures in most lithology groups can be explained by the function: , where F is relative frequency, D is fracture density and a, b, and c are constants.     

Characterization and Quantification of Mining-Induced Fractures in Overlying Strata: Implications for Coalbed Methane Drainage

Natural Resources Research - Coalbed methane (CBM) production in the overlying strata of coal reservoirs is often hampered by the unknown distribution of the mining-induced fractures....     

Observation and modelling of fault-zone fracture seismic anisotropy - I. P, SV and SH travel times

Summary. Three-component VSP borehole seismograms taken in the vicinity of an active normal fault in California show strong systematic shear-wave splitting that increases with proximity to the fault. Using Červený's method of characteristics for ray tracing in anisotropic heterogeneous media and Hudson's formulation of elastic constants for media-bearing aligned fractures, we have fitted a suite of P, SV and SH hanging-wall and foot-wall travel times with a simple model of aligned fractures flanking the fault zone. The dominant fracture set is best modelled as parallel to the fault plane and increasing in density with approach to the fault. The increase in fracture density is non-uniform (power law or Gaussian) with respect to distance to the fault. Although the hanging-wall and the foot-wall rock are petrologically the same unit, the fracture halo is more intense and extensive in the hanging wall than in the foot wall. Upon approach to the fault plane, the fracture density or fracture-density gradient becomes too great for the seismic response to be computed by Hudson–Červený procedures (the maximum fracture density that can be modelled is about 0.08). Within this 25 m fracture domain it appears more useful to model the fault and near field fractures as a low-velocity waveguide. We observe production of trapped waves within the confines of the intense fracture interval.     

Study of Effects of Hard Thick Roof on Gas Migration and Field Experiment of Roof Artificially Guided Pre-splitting for Efficient Gas Control

Due to high gas content, high geo-stress and complex geological conditions, gas disasters occur frequently in deep coal mining. The hard thick roof (HTR) greatly increases the difficulty of coalbed gas control besides causing dynamic disasters. In this paper, the effects of HTR on gas migration were numerically analyzed based on a multi-field coupling model. Results indicated that the hanging arch leads to remarkable stress concentration and induces a “cap-shaped” low-permeable zone above the gob, which greatly prevents gas from migrating upwards. Meanwhile, HTR hinders the subsidence movements of the upper rock strata, contributing to very few roof fractures and bed-separated fractures. Without the formation of roof-fractured zone, coalbed gas completely loses the possibility of upward concentration and will accumulate in the gob, forming a major safety hazard. To overcome these problems, borehole artificially guided pre-splitting (BAGP) technology was proposed. Three different pre-splitting boreholes were constructed as a group to generate artificial fractures in advance in HTR via deep-hole blasting, promoting the evolution of roof fractures. With the effects of mining stress, a fracture network is eventually formed in HTR, which provides a preferential passage for the upward flow of coalbed gas. Moreover, the controllable breaking of HTR was achieved and the roof strata could deform and subside regularly, forming an “O-shaped” roof-fractured zone above the gob which greatly improves the gas extraction efficiency of roof high-level boreholes. In addition, after BAGP, several extraction measures can be applied in the gob-side entry to drain the gas in different concentrated areas. In the field experiment, the roof periodic breaking length was reduced by half, and the average gas extraction rate was increased by 4 times to 67.7%. The synergetic controls of HTR and coalbed gas were effectively realized. This study provides valuable insight into gas control in other deep coal mines with similar geological conditions.

     

Geomorphological evidence of the influence of pre-volcanic basement structure on emplacement and deformation of volcanic edifices at the Cofre de Perote–Pico de Orizaba chain and implications for avalanche generation

Pre-volcanic structure of the basement influences volcanism distribution and avalanche generation in volcanic edifices. Therefore, systematic studies of basement structure below volcanic chains are necessary to understand the deformation effects observed in the surface and vice versa. Based on a compilation of pre-existing data, interpretation of aerial photographs and satellite images, and a collection of structural data we analyzed morphological and structural features of the Cofre de Perote–Pico de Orizaba (CP–PO) volcanic chain and its basement. We have identified three sets of regional lineaments that are related to basement trends. (1) NW 55° SE fractures are parallel to anticline folds observed in Cretaceous rocks that originated during Laramide shortening. These folds present an abrupt morphology observed only in the eastern flank but that is likely to continue below the volcanic chain. (2) NE 55° SW fractures are parallel to normal faults at the basement. We infer that these basement faults confine the CP–PO chain within a stepped graben with a total normal displacement of about 400 m. These faults have been active through time since they have affected volcanic deposits and induced the emplacement of monogenetic vents. Notably, lineaments of monogenetic vents concentrate where the basement is relatively shallow. (3) Another set of faults, oriented N–S, has been observed affecting the scarce basement outcrops at the western flank of the chain covered by lacustrine deposits. Lineaments measured in the volcanic edifice of Pico de Orizaba correlate with the regional trends.In particular, the NE 55° SW alignment of monogenetic vents and fractures at Pico de Orizaba suggest that the same dike trend exists within the volcanic edifice. A normal fault with similar orientation was documented at the NE continuation of an alignment crossing the volcanic edifice along the Jamapa canyon. In the absence of magmatic activity related to collapses, the displacement of NE 55° SW faults represents a potential triggering mechanism for generating avalanches at Pico de Orizaba volcano. Instability is enhanced by the presence of N–S trending fractures crossing the entire volcanic edifice and E–W fractures affecting only the present day cone. We conclude that mechanical instability of the volcanic chain is influenced by the basement structure heterogeneity, but further detailed studies are necessary at individual volcanoes to evaluate their effects on volcano deformation.     

Emplacement mechanics of sandstone intrusions: insights from the Panoche Giant Injection Complex,California

The Panoche Giant Injection Complex (PGIC; California) constitutes the most complete sandstone intrusion network yet described, and is an excellent analogue for subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs modified by sand remobilisation. Sandstone dykes and sills were intruded during the Late Palaeocene into slope mudstones of the Great Valley forearc basin, and are exposed for more than 300 km². The PGIC consists of dykes and sills and represents upwards infilling of natural hydraulic fractures sourced from highly overpressured Cretaceous sand bodies. Over 1300 orientation measurements show that dykes are almost randomly oriented with only a slight orientation bias trending NE–SW, N–S or NW–SE, suggesting either a horizontally isotropic state of stress during intrusion or modification of stress by newly‐formed fractures that override the remote stress. Dykes are segmented in a pattern consistent with radial propagation with fingering towards tips similar to that observed for other mixed mode fractures. Kinematic indicators reveal there was no systematic sense of opening for the intrusions. This is interpreted as the result of short‐range mechanical interactions. Cross‐cutting relationships between injections imply a diachronous timing and a fluid pressure in the source units that was in excess of the lithostatic load. Finally we document a suite of minor structures within the host section that allowed the strain of the forcefully intruded sand to be accommodated.     

Experimental Study on the Effect of Moisture Content on Bituminous Coal Porosity Based on 3D Reconstruction of Computerized Tomography

Bituminous coal in the Xutuan Coal Mine of the Huaibei Mining Bureau (China) is the research object of this study. The influence of moisture content on the porosity of the bituminous coal was investigated from a microscopic perspective by using a high-solution 3D X-ray micro-analyzer. The threshold segmentation method was used to segment the scanning slices of the coal samples. The threshold values of the various media were in the following order (from large to small): minerals, water, matrices, and fractures. The scanning volume and actual volume proportions of the different media in the coal samples with different moisture contents were calculated. The accuracy of the computerized tomography (CT) scanning method in measuring the coal moisture content was verified by comparison with the results obtained using the weighing method. 3D reconstructed coal samples, with different moisture contents, were analyzed, as well as separately reconstructed fractures and water in the coal samples with different moisture contents. The heterogeneity and anisotropy of the coal mass were explained quantitatively by the CT scanning intensity. A commonly used fracture classification method indicated that the primary fracture in the coal sample was a type A fracture. The results of the analysis of water in the coal fracture indicated that the porosity of bituminous coal decreased with the increase in moisture content in conditions of atmospheric pressure and a short immersion period. However, a certain level of porosity remained evident, and the degree of fracture development of the coal samples remained unchanged. This is attributed to the minor volumetric change in the minerals in the coal samples, as the water does not completely occupy the fractures in the coal samples, and the dissolution of the minerals by water is therefore not significant. The reasons for the moisture content affecting gas adsorption, seepage, and strength of a coal body were analyzed from a microscopic perspective. In addition, the types of fractures and water in the coal samples were classified by employing statistics and analyses of volume, surface area, specific surface area, and aspect ratio of the fractures and the water in the coal samples with different moisture contents.

     

Changes in Shale Rock Properties and Wave Velocity Anisotropy Induced by Increasing Temperature

Natural Resources Research - Water saturation, organic matter content, and fractures are important factors influencing the physical properties of shale. In this study, shale samples were subjected...     

Effects of fractures on seismic-wave velocity and attenuation

The effects of fractures on the seismic velocity and attenuation of a rock are investigated using theoretical results and experimental data. Fractures in a rock mass influence the traveltimes and amplitudes of seismic waves that have propagated through them. The displacement discontinuity model, recently employed in fracture investigations, is modified to describe the effect of fractures on seismic-wave velocity and attenuation. This new model, the modified displacement discontinuity model (MDD), is formulated in a way analogous to transmission-line analysis. The fractures are treated as transmission lines for the passage of seismic waves. The MDD takes into consideration realistic fracture parameters which include the fracture length, the fractional area of a fracture surface in contact, and the nature of the infilling material. A single fracture of varying geometric and material properties is shown to affect dramatically the transmission properties of a propagating waveform, and hence the seismic velocity and attenuation. These effects have been shown to result in a frequency-dependent velocity and attenuation. The sensitivity of the fracture parameters to seismic-wave velocity and attenuation was investigated and interesting results were obtained. Fracture parameters used in designing experimental models consisting of synthetically manufactured cracks were fed into the MDD and a well-known crack model, Hudson's model, for comparison. Velocities as a function of the incident-wave angle were obtained from both numerical models and were compared with the results from the experimental modelling. For P waves, the MDD model results show better agreement with those of the experimental model for all crack densities investigated than those from Hudson's model.