Distant off-fault damage and gold mineralization: The impact of rock heterogeneity

Tectonophysics

Volumn 608, Issue , 2013, Pages 461-467

  Moir, H ^a   Lunn, R J ^a   Micklethwaite, S ^b   Shipton, Z K ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA   (Australia)

Author keywords

Fault zone; Gold; Numerical modeling; Stepover

Indexed keywords

FAULT ZONE; FIELD OBSERVATIONS; FRACTURE INITIATION; GOLD MINERALIZATION; OFF-FAULT DAMAGE; ROCK HETEROGENEITY; STEPOVER; WESTERN AUSTRALIA;

FRACTURE; GOLD DEPOSITS; LITHOLOGY; NUMERICAL MODELS;

GOLD;

DAMAGE MECHANICS; FAULT ZONE; FINITE ELEMENT METHOD; FRACTURE; GOLD; LITHOLOGY; MINERALIZATION; NUMERICAL MODEL; ORE DEPOSIT; ROCK PROPERTY; SLIP;

AUSTRALIA; WESTERN AUSTRALIA;

EID: 84887820860     PISSN: 00401951     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2013.08.043     Document Type: Article

References (37)

1. Bai T., Pollard D.D. Closely spaced fractures in layered rocks: initiation mechanism and propagation kinematics. J. Struct. Geol. 2000, 22:1409-1425. 10.1016/S0191-8141(00)00062-6.
2. Bistacchi A., Massironi M., Menegon L. Three-dimensional characterization of a crustal-scale fault zone: the Pusteria and Sprechenstein fault system (Eastern Alps). J. Struct. Geol. 2010, V32(12):2022-2041. 10.1016/j.jsg.2010.06.00.
3. Blair S.C., Cook N.G.W. Analysis of compressive fracture in rock using statistical techniques: part II. Effect of microscale heterogeneity on macroscopic deformation. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 1998, 35:849-861. 10.1016/S0148-9062(98)00009-6.
4. Cassidy K.F., Bennett J.M. Gold mineralisation at the Lady Bountiful Mine, Western Australia: an example of a granitoid-hosted Archaean lode gold deposit. Miner. Deposita 1993, 28:388-408. 10.1007/BF02431598.
5. Cochran E.S., Li Y.-G., Shearer P.M., Barbot S., Fialko Y., Vidale J.E. Seismic and geodetic evidence for extensive, long-lived fault damage zones. Geology 2009, 37(4):315-318. 10.1130/G25306A.1.
6. Crider J.G. Oblique slip and the geometry of normal-fault linkage: mechanics and a case study from the Basin and Range in Oregon. J. Struct. Geol. 2001, 23:1997-2009. 10.1016/S0191-8141(01)00047-5.
7. Crider J.G., Pollard D.D. Fault linkage: three-dimensional mechanical interaction between echelon normal faults. J. Geophys. Res. 1998, 103(B10):24373-24391. 10.1029/98JB01353.
8. d'Alessio M.A., Martel S.J. Fault terminations and barriers to fault growth. J. Struct. Geol. 2004, 26:1885-1896. 10.1016/j.jsg.2004.01.010.
9. de Joussineau G., Mutlu O., Aydin A., Pollard D.D. Characterization of strike-slip fault-splay relationships in sandstone. J. Struct. Geol. 2007, 29(11):1831-1842. 10.1016/j.jsg.2007.08.006.
10. Eshelby J.D. The determination of the elastic field of an ellipsoidal inclusion, and related problems. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 1957, 241:376-396.
11. Eshelby J.D. The elastic field outside an ellipsoidal inclusion. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 1959, 252:561-569.
12. Faulkner D.R., Mitchell T.M., Healy D., Heap M.J. Slip on 'weak' faults by the rotation of regional stress in the fracture damage zone. Nature 2006, 444:922-925. 10.1038/nature05353.
13. Flodin E., Aydin A. Faults with asymmetric damage zones in sandstone, Valley of Fire State Park, southern Nevada. J. Struct. Geol. 2004, 26(5):983-988.
14. Gebre-Mariam M., Groves D.I., McNaughton N.J., Mikucki E.J., Vearncombe J.R. Archean Au-Ag mineralisation at Racetrack, near Kalgoorlie, Western Australia: a high crustal-level expression of the Archean composite lode-gold system. Miner. Deposita 1993, 28:375-387. 10.1007/BF02431597.
15. Glazner A.F., Bartley J.M., Coleman D.S., Gray W., Taylor R.Z. Are plutons assembled over millions of years by amalgamations of small magma chambers?. GSA Today 2004, 14(4/5).
16. Griffith W.J., Nielsen S., Di Toro G., Smith S.A.F. Rough faults, distributed weakening, and off-fault deformation. J. Geophys. Res. 2010, 115:B08409. 10.1029/2009JB006925.
17. Gudmundsson A., Simmenes T.H., Larsen B., Philipp S.L. Effects of internal structure and local stresses on fracture propagation, deflection, and arrest in fault zones. J. Struct. Geol. 2010, 32(11):1643-1655. 10.1016/j.jsg.2009.08.013.
18. Guo J., McCaffrey K., Jones R., Holdsworth R. The spatial heterogeneity of structures in high porosity sandstones: variations and granularity effects in orientation data. J. Struct. Geol. 2009, 31:628-636. 10.1016/j.jsg.2008.12.002.
19. Hagemann S.G., Cassidy K.F. World-class gold camps and deposits in the Eastern Goldfields Province, Yilgarn Craton: diversity in host rocks, structural controls, and mineralization styles. Geological Survey of Western Australia Record 2001/17 2001, 7-44.
20. Helgeson D.E., Aydin A. Characteristics of joint propagation across layer interfaces in sedimentary rocks. J. Struct. Geol. 1991, 13(8):897-911. 10.1016/0191-8141(91)90085-W.
21. Kim Y.-S., Peacock D.C.P., Sanderson D.J. Mesoscale strike-slip faults and damage zones at Marsalforn, Gozo Island, Malta. J. Struct. Geol. 2003, 25:793-812. 10.1016/S0191-8141(02)00200-6.
22. Kim Y.J., Peacock D.C.P., Sanderson D.J. Fault damage zones. J. Struct. Geol. 2004, 26:503-517. 10.1016/j.jsg.2003.08.002.
23. Lunn R.J., Willson J.P., Shipton Z.K., Moir H. Simulating brittle fault growth from linkage of preexisting structures. J. Geophys. Res. 2008, 113:B07403. 10.1029/2007JB005388.
24. Martel S.J. Formation of compound strike-slip fault zones, Mount Abbot quadrangle, California. J. Struct. Geol. 1990, 12(7):869-877. 10.1016/0191-8141(90)90060-C.
25. Mathews J.H., Fink K.D. Numerical Methods using Matlab 2004, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey. 4th ed.
26. Micklethwaite S., Cox S.F. Fault-segment rupture, aftershock-zone fluid flow and mineralization. Geology 2004, 32:813-816. 10.1130/G20559.1.
27. Micklethwaite S., Cox S.F. Progressive fault triggering and fluid flow in aftershock domains: examples from mineralized Archaean fault systems. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 2006, 250:318-330. 10.1016/j.epsl.2006.07.050.
28. Micklethwaite S., Sheldon H.A., Baker T. Active fault and shear processes and their implications for mineral deposit formation and discovery. J. Struct. Geol. 2010, V32(2):151-165. 10.1016/j.jsg.2009.10.009.
29. Moir H., Lunn R.J., Shipton Z.K., Kirkpatrick J.D. Simulating brittle fault evolution from networks of pre-existing joints within crystalline rock. J. Struct. Geol. 2010, 32(11):1742-1753. 10.1016/j.jsg.2009.08.
30. Myers R., Aydin A. The evolution of faults formed by shearing across joint zones in sandstone. J. Struct. Geol. 2004, 26(5):947-966. 10.1016/j.jsg.2003.07.008.
31. Odling N.E., Harris S.D., Knipe R.J. Permeability scaling properties of fault damage zones in siliclastic rocks. J. Struct. Geol. 2004, 26:1727-1747. 10.1016/j.jsg.2004.02.005.
32. Peacock D.C.P., Sanderson D.J. Strike-slip relay ramps. J. Struct. Geol. 1995, 17:1351-1360. 10.1016/0191-8141(95)97303-W.
33. Rowe C.D., Meneghini F., Moore C.J. Fluid-rich damage zone of an ancient out-of-sequence thrust, Kodiak Islands, Alaska. Tectonics 2009, 28:TC1006. 10.1029/2007TC002126.
34. Sheldon H.A., Micklethwaite S. Damage and permeability around faults: Implications for mineralization. Geology 2007, 35:903-906. 10.1130/G23860A.1.
35. Tang C.A., Liu H., Lee P.K.K., Tsui Y., Tham L.G. Numerical studies of the influence of microstructure on rock failure in uniaxial compression - part I: effect of heterogeneity. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 2000, 37(4):555-569. 10.1016/S1365-1609(99)00121-5.
36. Tang C.A., Tham L.G., Wana S.H., Liu H., Li W.H. A numerical study of the influence of heterogeneity on the strength characterization of rock under uniaxial tension. Mech. Mater. 2007, 39(4):326-339. 10.1016/j.mechmat.2006.05.006.
37. Willson J.P., Lunn R.J., Shipton Z.K. Simulating spatial and temporal evolution of multiple wing cracks around faults in crystalline basement rocks. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 2007, 112:B08408. 10.1029/2006JB004815.