Mechanical analysis of en echelon structure and its significance of controlling earthquakes

The paper deals with the mechanical origin and rules ofen echelon folds and their secondary fractures by means of elastic stability theory and nonlinear fracture criterion. Obtains the quantitative relations amongen echelon angles ofen echelon folds, ratios of boundary stresses anden echelon pitches of shear zone under an action of general boundary forces (tension shear, pure shear or compression shear). As an applied example, the paper researches the displacement field, stress field, distortion energy distribution, state of secondary fractures and energy released by fracturing ofen echelon fold structure developed at the east foot of Taihang Mountain. The results of research show that maximum principal (compressive) stresses, maximum shear stresses, high value area of distortion energy are in the nuclear parts ofen echelon folds. In these parts compressive fractures were easily developed in approximately parallel with fold axis. So it is verified that the secondary fracture ofen echelon folds is a mechanism controlling a strong earthquake.     

Mechanical analysis of en echelon structure and its significance of controlling earthquakes

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Development of subcracks betweenen echelon fractures in rock plates

Uniaxial compression tests on marble plates containing two prefabricateden echelon fractures were performed in this study. Photographs showing the typical characteristics of subcrack development were taken under direct scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation during the test. From these photographs, the effects of the lengthL of a single fracture, the separation distanced and overlapping proportiona/L between two prefabricateden echelon fractures on the development of subcracks were analyzed. The results show that the interaction betweenen echelon fractures strengthened with decreasingd. FordL, there was little interaction and the development of subcracks near one of theen echelon fractures was unaffected by the existence of the other. Whereas ford, the number of subcracks in the area intermediate betweenen echelon fractures tended to increase with increasinga and decreasingd. In order to ascertain whether the experiment can furnish some implications for research on earthquake prediction and neotectonic activity, the test results were compared with the spatial-temporal development of foreshocks and ground-water anomalies before the 1975 Haicheng earthquake and the structural framework of the Ganzi pull-apart basin. The results of the comparison are encouraging. According to the similarity between the test results in the laboratory and the natural phenomena in the field, the fault on which the Haicheng earthquake would occur, could be inferred immediately from the relative geometry of the two sub-parallel active faults in the area. Thus, it is considered that the test results would advance our understanding of the process of neotectonic activities and give us inspiration for earthquake prediction.     

Are open fractures necessarily aligned with maximum horizontal stress?

Fluid flow in fractured rock is an increasingly central issue in recovering water and hydrocarbon supplies and geothermal energy, in predicting flow of pollutants underground, in engineering structures, and in understanding large-scale crustal behaviour. Conventional wisdom assumes that fluids prefer to flow along fractures oriented parallel or nearly parallel to modern-day maximum horizontal compressive stress, or S_Hmax. The reasoning is that these fractures have the lowest normal stresses across them and therefore provide the least resistance to flow. For example, this view governs how geophysicists design and interpret seismic experiments to probe fracture fluid pathways in the deep subsurface. Contrary to these widely held views, here we use core, stress measurement, and fluid flow data to show that S_Hmax does not necessarily coincide with the direction of open natural fractures in the subsurface (>3 km depth). Consequently, in situ stress direction cannot be considered to predict or control the direction of maximum permeability in rock. Where effective stress is compressive and fractures are expected to be closed, chemical alteration dictates location of open conduits, either preserving or destroying fracture flow pathways no matter their orientation.     

An experimental study on variation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis> value during deformation of rock samples with different structural models

A preliminary study of b value of rocks with two kinds of structural models has been made on the base of a new acoustic emission recording system. It shows that b value of the sample decreases obviously when the sample with compressive en echelon faults changes into a tensile one after interchange occurs between stress axis σ ₁ and σ ₂. A similar experiment is observed when the sample with tensile en echelon faults changes into that with a bend fault after two segments of the en echelon fault linking up. These facts indicate that the variation of b value may contain the information of the regional dominant structural model. Therefore, b-value analyses could be a new method for studying regional dominant structural models.     

Topographic stress and rock fracture: a two‐dimensional numerical model for arbitrary topography and preliminary comparison with borehole observations

Theoretical calculations indicate that elastic stresses induced by surface topography may be large enough in some landscapes to fracture rocks, which in turn could influence slope stability, erosion rates, and bedrock hydrologic properties. These calculations typically have involved idealized topographic profiles, with few direct comparisons of predicted topographic stresses and observed fractures at specific field sites. We use a numerical model to calculate the stresses induced by measured topographic profiles and compare the calculated stress field with fractures observed in shallow boreholes. The model uses a boundary element method to calculate the stress distribution beneath an arbitrary topographic profile in the presence of ambient tectonic stress. When applied to a topographic profile across the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory in central Pennsylvania, the model predicts where shear fractures would occur based on a Mohr–Coulomb criterion, with considerable differences in profiles of stresses with depth beneath ridgetops and valley floors. We calculate the minimum cohesion required to prevent shear failure, C_min, as a proxy for the potential for fracturing or reactivation of existing fractures. We compare depth profiles of C_min with structural analyses of image logs from four boreholes located on the valley floor, and find that fracture abundance declines sharply with depth in the uppermost 15 m of the bedrock, consistent with the modeled profile of C_min. In contrast, C_min increases with depth at comparable depths below ridgetops, suggesting that ridgetop fracture abundance patterns may differ if topographic stresses are indeed important. Thus, the present results are consistent with the hypothesis that topography can influence subsurface rock fracture patterns and provide a basis for further observational tests. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Tensile Model for the Interpretation of Microseismic Events near Underground Openings

—For small-scale microseismic events, the source sizes provided by shear models are unrealistically large when compared to visual observations of rock fractures near underground openings. A detailed analysis of the energy components in data from a mine-by experiment and from some mines showed that there is a depletion of S-wave energy for events close to the excavations, indicating that tensile cracking is the dominant mechanism in these microseismic events.¶In the present study, a method is proposed to estimate the fracture size from microseismic measurements. The method assumes tensile cracking as the dominant fracture mechanism for brittle rocks under compressive loads and relates the fracture size to the measured microseismic energy. With the proposed method, more meaningful physical fracture sizes can be obtained and this is demonstrated by an example on data from an underground excavation with detailed, high-quality microseismic records.     

The features of multiple fractures associated with the great Haiyuan 8.5 magnitude earthquake of 1920

It is deduced on the basis of field investigation that the total length of the stratigraphic fault associated with the great Haiyuan 8.5 magnitude earthquake of 1920 was 225 km. This fault was formed by 6 secondary faults with different geometric parameters, which align regularly inen echelon arrangement. Each secondary fault can be divided into three segments with different characteristics of deformation where the middle segment was mainly of the horizontal strike—slip fault while another two segments the vertical deformation as shown by the features of reverse or normal faults. It is also shown by the data of vertical and horizontal displacements that the horizontal displacement approached a maximum at the middle segment for each secondary fault and gradually decreased toward and finally disappeared at both ends of each segment while in contrast the vertical displacement was minimum at the middle and became large at both ends of the segment. The feature of the multiple peaks appeared in the deformation as shown by the earthquake displacements along the whole fault. This feature indicates that the 6 secondary faults associated with the great Haiyuan earthquake were the horizontal interrupted planes (i.e., dislocation surface) which were independent on each other, and hence each dislocation surface may represent an independent secondary fracture event of the earthquake. We thus think that the 6 relatively independent secondary events which occurred successfully might result in the great 8.5 magnitude Haiyuan earthquake. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,13, 21–31, 1991. This project is sponsored by the Chinese Joint Seismological Science Foundation.     

腾冲火山区地震构造应力场研究

通过对腾冲火山区强震和中小地震震源机制制解分析,对火山区构造应力场方向空间分布,以及震源类型和破裂特征作了研究。利用腾冲火山区中小地震地震波资料,计算得到的地震震源处剪应力强度值,对火山区应力场强度或初始应力状态进行了研究。腾冲火山区构造庆力场主要为北北东－北东－北东东向,接近水平的压应力场。腾冲火山区凛环境剪应力场高值区所包围的低剪应力值分布区。腾冲火山区地震震源具有多种类型,震源破裂具有多种形     

An experimental study on variation of b value during deformation of rock samples with different structural models

A preliminary study of b value of rocks with two kinds of structural models has been made on the base of a new acoustic emission recording system. It shows that b value of the sample decreases obviously when the sample with compressive en echelon faults changes into a tensile one after interchange occurs between stress axis σ ₁ and σ ₂. A similar experiment is observed when the sample with tensile en echelon faults changes into that with a bend fault after two segments of the en echelon fault linking up. These facts indicate that the variation of b value may contain the information of the regional dominant structural model. Therefore, b-value analyses could be a new method for studying regional dominant structural models. Foundation item: National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40072067) and Minister of Science and Technology of China (2004BA601B01).     

A model of nonuniform fracture system for Langcang-Gengma earthquake sequence and elasto-plastic computation method

Based on the observation data, it is found that the Lancang-Gengma earthquake sequence is resulting from the propagation of a nonuniform fracture system in which the lengths and strikes of fractures are different from each other, the stress field and medium condition around fractures are also heterogeneous. Therefore, a mechanical model simulating suitably the fracture processes of the Lancang-Gengma earthquake sequence is suggested in this paper. The fracture criterions and computation method for elastic fracture and elasto-plastic fracture are studied. The stress intensity factor, strain energy release rate and J-integral are evaluated respectively. The forward and inverse method jointing a variety of observation data to determine the earthquake fracture processes is also developed in this paper. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,14, 463–471, 1992. This project was sponsored by the Chinese Jonit Seismological Science Foundation.     

Development of joints and shear fractures in the Kuqa depression and its implication to regional stress field switching

The superimposed basin must have undergone the changes of regional stress field. Study on the nature and switch of regional stress field of superimposed basin is very useful to understanding its stress state and tectonic events during its formation and evolution. As sensitive markers of small stress changes, joint and shear fracture, characterized by consistency of orientation over wide area, can be used to reconstruct paleostress state and its evolution. Detailed observations and analysis on the orientations, geometrical patterns, sequences of joints and shear fractures and their chronological relation to faults and folds show that, the NEE-SWW systematic joints and NNW-SSE systematic joints developed in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata are much more prominent than NW-SE systematic joints and shear fractures with different orientations. And the NWW-SEE and NW-SE systematic joints formed later than NEE-SWW systematic joints but earlier than shear fractures with different orientations. According to the relationships between joint and shear fractures and stress, the NEE-SWW systematic joints are inferred to result from lateral weak extension caused by the late Cretaceous regional uplift, while the NNW-SSE and NW-SE systematic joints are interpreted as syn-tectonic deformation relating to strong N-S compression in the Neogene. But some conjugate shear fractures occur probably due to sinistral strike-slip faulting in the Kuqa depression. At the beginning of the Neogene, the stress field changed and the maximal principal stress σ1 switched from vertical to horizontal.     

Formation of conical fractures in sedimentary basins: Experiments involving pore fluids and implications for sandstone intrusion mechanisms

Large sand intrusions often exhibit conical morphologies analogous to magmatic intrusions such as saucer-shaped or cup-shaped sills. Whereas some physical processes may be similar, we show with scaled experiments that the formation of conical sand intrusions may be favoured by the pore-pressure gradients prevailing in the host rock before sand injection. Our experiments involve injecting air into a permeable and cohesive analogue material to produce hydraulic fractures while controlling the pore pressure field. We control the state of overpressure in the overburden by applying homogeneous basal pore pressure, and then adding a second local pore pressure field by injecting air via a central injector to initiate hydraulic fractures near the injection point. In experiments involving small vertical effective stresses (small overburden, or high pore fluid overpressure), the fracturing pressure (λ_fract) is supralithostatic and two dipping fractures are initiated at the injection point forming a conical structure. From theoretical considerations, we predict that high values of λ_fract are due to strong cohesion or high pore fluid overpressure distributed in the overburden. Such conditions are favoured by the pore pressure/stress coupling induced by both pore pressure fields. The dips of cones can be accounted for elastic-stress rotation occurring around the source. Contrary to magmatic chamber models, the aqueous fluid overpressure developed in a parent sandbody (and prevailing before the formation of injectites) may diffuse into the surrounding overburden, thus favouring stress rotation and the formation of inclined sheets far from the parent source. For experiments involving higher vertical effective stresses (thick overburden or low pore fluid overpressure), the fracturing pressure is lower than the lithostatic stress, and a single fracture is opened in mode I which then grows vertically. At a critical depth, the fracture separates into two dilatant branches forming a flat cone. We make use of a P.I.V. (Particle Imaging Velocimetry) technique to analyse plastic deformation, showing that these inclined fractures are opened in mixed modes. Close to the surface, they change into steep shear bands where fluids can infiltrate. The final morphology of the fracture network is very similar to the common tripartite architecture of various injection complexes, indicating that different mechanisms may be involved in the formation of dykes. Feeder dykes under the sill zones may open as tensile fractures, while overlying dykes may be guided by the deformation induced by the growth of sills. These deformation conditions may also favour the formation of fluid escape structures and pockmarks.     

含有倾斜薄裂缝孔隙地层中的井孔声场

应用三维交错网格应力-速度有限差分方法,数值模拟了含有倾斜裂缝孔隙介质地层中点声源所激发的井孔声场问题.为满足薄裂缝计算需求,开发了不均匀网格有限差分算法,提高了计算精度及计算速度.利用将孔隙介质方程参数取为流体极限的办法来处理裂缝中的流体,实现了流体-孔隙介质界面处的差分方程统一,使界面处的计算更加灵活方便.在验证了方法正确性的基础上,分别考察了单裂缝宽度、裂缝带宽度、裂缝倾斜角度以及孔隙介质渗透率等参数的变化对井轴上阵列波形的影响并进行了分析.结果表明,声波经过裂缝时可能产生反射横波及斯通利波,后者随裂缝宽度的减小而减小,而前者随裂缝宽度的改变,变化不大,在裂缝很小(20μm)时依然存在;裂缝带的宽度、密度越大,反射斯通利波越强;当裂缝(裂缝带)倾斜时,反射横波消失,但反射斯通利波受裂缝倾斜角度的影响较小;渗透率的改变对斯通利波的衰减影响较为明显.     

Thermal regimes and regional metamorphism in the vicinity of overthrust faults: an example of shear heating and inverted metamorphic zonation from southern California

Thermal models are developed and temperature-depth profiles computed to account for the development of sharply inverted metamorphic zonations and estimatedP-T conditions beneath deep-seated thrust faults, with particular reference to the metamorphism of the Pelona Schist-Vincent Thrust system of southern California.Models dependent only upon conductive redistribution of heat from an initially hot upper plate are inadequate to account for the observed temperature distributions and theP-T time constraints can only be satisfied if a total shear heating of 3 hfu or more occurs in the region of the thrusts. These heating rates are consistent with known rates of plate movement, shear stresses along major fault zones, and shear strengths of rocks.Petrological constraints indicate the likelihood of buffering of the maximum temperature attained by shear heating due to marked reduction of shear strengths of rocks upon increase of temperature and release of water during metamorphic dehydration reactions.These models may be of general applicability to inverted metamorphic zonations, notably those beneath obducted Newfoundland ophiolites, and are consistent with our present understanding of the thermal properties of the upper parts of subduction zones.     

Horizontal movement and strain characteristics in Tianshan and its adjacent region with GPS deformation data

Introduction The Tianshan Mountain is the youngest cordillera in the present-day continental Asia, and its tectonic evolution is closely related to the collision and subduction between Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate in the Himalayas orogen since Cenozoic…     

华北地区近期地壳水平运动与应力应变场特征

利用华北GPS监测网 1 992年、1 995年、1 996年的观测资料 ,应用最小二乘配置给出了华北地区相对水平位移场、应变场的分布图像 .经初步研究表明 :华北地区 1 992-1 995年间的水平位移和应变场表现为整体性不均匀的压性运动 ,1 995- 1 996年测区东部仍以水平压性运动为主 ,但测区西部则主要表现为张性运动 .水平运动 （方向、大小 ）发生显著变化和应变高值区的地带主要位于块体边界带和主要断裂带附近 .燕山断块南边界的北东向断裂存在着较显著的左旋运动 .区内最大剪应变、面膨胀的高值区在天津、北京、唐山一带 .结合非连续变形数值分析方法 （DDA）初步分析认为 ,1 992- 1 995年GPS观测结果显示的华北地区存在东、西部构造应力作用的明显差别 ,华北东部以东西向压应力作用为主 ,而西部的南北向构造应力作用又明显大于东部 .     

Spatial variation of crustal strain in the Kachchh region,India: Implication on the Bhuj earthquake of 2001

The Kachchh province of Western India is a major seismic domain in an intraplate set-up. This seismic zone is located in a rift basin, which was developed during the early Jurassic break-up of the Gondwanaland. The crustal strain determined from the GPS velocity data of post-seismic time period following the 2001 Bhuj earthquake indicates a maximum strain rate of ∼266 × 10⁻⁹ per year along N013°. Focal mechanism solutions of the main event of 26 January 2001 and the aftershocks show that the maximum principal stress axis is close to this high strain direction. Maximum shear strain rate determined from the GPS data of the area has similar orientation. The unusually high strain rate is comparable in magnitude to the continental rift systems. The partitioning of the regional NE–SW horizontal stress (S_Hmax) by the pre-existing EW-striking boundary fault developed the strike–slip components parallel to the regional faults, the normal components perpendicular to the faults, NE-striking conjugate Riedel shear fractures and tension fractures. The partitioned normal component of the stress is considered to be the major cause for compression across the regional EW faults and development of the second-order conjugate shear fractures striking NE–SW and NW–SE. The NE-striking transverse faults parallel to the anti-Riedel shear planes have become critical under these conditions. These anti-Riedel planes are interpreted to be critical for the seismicity of the Kachchh region. The high strain rate in this area of low to moderate surface heat flow is responsible for deeper position of the brittle–ductile transition and development of deep seated seismic events in this intraplate region.     

Development of shear localization in simulated quartz gouge: Effect of cumulative slip and gouge particle size

Frictional sliding experiments were conducted on two types of simulated quartz gouge (with median particle diameters 5 m and 25 m, respectively) at confining pressures ranging from 50 MPa to 190 MPa in a conventional triaxial configuration. To investigate the operative micromechanical processes, deformation texture developed in the gouge layer was studied in samples which had accumulated different amounts of frictional slip and undergone different stability modes of sliding. The spatial patterning of shear localization was characterized by a quantitative measurement of the shear band density and orientation. Shear localization in the ultrafine quartz gouge initiated very early before the onset of frictional sliding. Various modes of shear localization were evident, but within the gouge zoneR ₁-shears were predominant. The density of shear localization increased with cumulative slip, whereas the angle subtended at the rock-gouge interface decreased. Destabilization of the sliding behavior in the ultrafine quartz gouge corresponded to the extension ofR ₁-shears and formation of boundaryY-shear segments, whereas stabilization with cumulative slip was related to the coalescence ofY-shear segments to form a throughgoing boundary shear. In the coarse quartz gouge, the sliding behavior was relatively stable, probably because shear localization was inhibited by distributed comminution. Two different models were formulated to analyze the stress field within the gouge zone, with fundamentally different predictions on the orientations of the principal stresses. If the rock-gouge interface is assumed to be bonded without any displacement discontinuity, then the maximum principal stress in the gouge zone is predicted to subtend an angle greater than 45° at the interface. If no assumption on displacement or strain continuity is made and if the gouge has yielded as a Coulomb material, then the maximum principal stress in the gouge zone is predicted to subtend an angle less than 45°. If the apparent friction coefficient increases with overall slip (i.e., slip-hardening), then the Riedel shear angle progressively decreases with increasing shear strain within the gouge layer, possibly attaining a zero value which corresponds to a boundaryY-shear. Our quantitative data on shear localization orientation are in reasonable agreement with this second model, which implies the coefficient of internal friction to be about 0.75 for the ultrafine quartz gouge and 0.8 for the coarse gouge. The wide range of orientations for Riedel shear localization observed in natural faults suggests that the orientations of principal stresses vary as much as in an experimental gouge zone.     

Interaction among fractures and stress field computation of fracture systems

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