Soft faults with hard tips: Magnitude-order displacement gradient variations controlled by strain softening versus hardening; implications for fault scaling

Journal of the Geological Society

Volumn 169, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 123-126

  Rotevatn, Atle ^a   Fossen, Haakon ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN   (Norway)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DISPLACEMENT GRADIENTS; FAULT EVOLUTION; FAULT POPULATION; MICRO-STRUCTURAL; POROUS ROCKS; POROUS SANDSTONE; POWER LAW EXPONENT; POWER-LAW; SCALING RELATIONS; SINGLE FAULT; SOFT FAULTS; STRAIN SOFTENING;

HARDENING;

DEFORMATION; FAULT DISPLACEMENT; POROUS MEDIUM; POWER LAW; SANDSTONE; SLIP; STRUCTURAL CONTROL;

EID: 84857831734     PISSN: 00167649     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1144/0016-76492011-108     Document Type: Article

References (22)

1. Ackermann, R.V., Schlische, R.W. & Withjack, M.O. 2001. The geometric and statistical evolution of normal fault systems: an experimental study of the effects of mechanical layer thickness on scaling laws. Journal of Structural Geology, 23, 1803-1819.
2. Antonellini, M. & Aydin, A. 1995. Effect of faulting on fluid flow in porous sandstones: geometry and spatial distribution. AAPG Bulletin, 79, 642-671.
3. Aydin, A. 1978. Small faults formed as deformation bands in sandstone. Pageoph, 116, 913-930.
4. Aydin, A. & Johnson, A.M. 1978. Development of faults as zones of deformation bands and as slip surfaces in sandstone. Pageoph, 116, 931-942.
5. Baud, P., Vajdova, V. & Wong, T.-F. 2006. Shear-enhanced compaction and strain localization: inelastic deformation and constitutive modeling of four porous sandstones. Journal of Geophysical Research, 111, doi:10.1029/2005JB004101.
6. Childs, C., Manzocchi, T., Walsh, J.J., Bonson, C.G., Nicol, A. & Schöpfer, M.P.J. 2009. A geometric model of fault zone and fault rock thickness variations. Journal of Structural Geology, 31, 117-127.
7. Cowie, P.A. & Scholz, C.H. 1992. Displacement-length scaling relationship for faults: data synthesis and discussion. Journal of Structural Geology, 14, 1149-1156.
8. Cowie, P.A. & Shipton, Z.K. 1998. Fault tip displacement gradients and process zone dimensions. Journal of Structural Geology, 20, 983-997.
9. Dawers, N.H., Anders, M.H. & Scholz, C.H. 1993. Growth of normal faults: displacement-length scaling. Geology, 21, 1107-1110.
10. Doelling, H.H. 2001. Geologic map of the Moab and eastern part of the San Rafael Desert 30′ × 60′ quadrangles, Grand and Emery Counties, Utah, and Mesa County, Colorado. Utah Geological Survey Map, 180.
11. Fossen, H. & Hesthammer, J. 1997. Geometric analysis and scaling relations of deformation bands in porous sandstone from the San Rafael Desert, Utah. Journal of Structural Geology, 19, 1479-1493.
12. Fossen, H., Schultz, R., Shipton, Z. & Mair, K. 2007. Deformation bands in sandstone - a review. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 164, 755-769.
13. Kim, Y.-S. & Sanderson, D.J. 2005. The relationship between displacement and length of faults: a review. Earth-Science Reviews, 68, 317-334.
14. Mair, K., Frye, K.M. & Marone, C. 2002. Influence of grain characteristics on the friction of granular shear zones. Journal of Geophysical Research, 107, doi:10.1029/2001JB000516.
15. Marrett, R. & Allmendinger, R.W. 1991. Estimates of strain due to brittle faulting: sampling of fault populations. Journal of Structural Geology, 13, 735-738.
16. Schultz, R.A. & Siddharthan, R. 2005. A general framework for the occurrence and faulting of deformation bands in porous granular rocks. Tectonophysics, 411, 1-18.
17. Schultz, R.A., Soliva, R., Fossen, H., Okubo, C.H. & Reeves, D.M. 2008. Dependence of displacement-length scaling relations for fractures and deformation bands on the volumetric changes across them. Journal of Structural Geology, 30, 1405-1411.
18. Shipton, Z.k. & Cowie, P.A. 2001. Damage zone and slip surface evolution over μm to km scales in high-porosity navajo sandstone, Utah. Journal of Structural Geology, 23, 1825-1844.
19. Walsh, J.J. & Watterson, J. 1989. Displacement gradients on fault surfaces. Journal of Structural Geology, 11, 307-316.
20. Walsh, J.J., Nicol, A. & Childs, C. 2002. An alternative model for the growth of faults. Journal of Structural Geology, 24, 1669-1675.
21. Wibberley, C.A.J., Petit, J.-P. & Rives, T. 1999. Mechanics of high displacement gradient faulting prior to lithification. Journal of Structural Geology, 21, 251-257.
22. Wibberley, C.A.J., Petit, J.-P. & Rives, T. 2000. Mechanics of cataclastic 'deformation band' faulting in high-porosity sandstone, Provence. Comptes Rendus de l'Academie des Sciences, Series IIA, 331, 419-425.