Influence of carbonate facies on fault zone architecture

Journal of Structural Geology

Volumn 65, Issue , 2014, Pages 82-99

  Michie, E A H ^a,d   Haines, T J ^a   Healy, D ^a   Neilson, J E ^a   Timms, N E ^b   Wibberley, C A J ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN   (United Kingdom)

^b CURTIN UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

^c CSTJF   (France)

^d Badley Geoscience Limited   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Carbonates; Fault damage prediction; Fault zone architecture; Fluid flow; Normal faults; Scaling attributes

Indexed keywords

CARBONATES; CARBONATION; FLOW OF FLUIDS; FRACTURE; STRATIGRAPHY; STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY;

DAMAGE PREDICTION; DISTRIBUTED DEFORMATION; FAULT ZONE ARCHITECTURE; INTENSE DEFORMATION; LOCALISED DEFORMATION; MECHANICAL STRATIGRAPHY; NORMAL FAULTS; SCALING ATTRIBUTES;

DEFORMATION;

CARBONATE ROCK; DEFORMATION MECHANISM; FACIES; FAULT PROPAGATION; FAULT ZONE; FOOTWALL; HANGING WALL; LITHOFACIES; MICRITE; NORMAL FAULT; STRAIN RATE;

MALTA;

EID: 84900498810     PISSN: 01918141     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsg.2014.04.007     Document Type: Article

References (77)

1. Agosta F., Kirschner D.L. Fluid conduits in carbonate-hosted seismogenic normal faults of central Italy. J.Geophys. Res. 2003, 108(B4):2221.
2. Agosta F., Aydin A. Architecture and deformation mechanism of a basin-bounding normal fault in Mesozoic platform carbonates, central Italy. J.Struct. Geol. 2006, 28(8):1445-1467.
3. Agosta F., Prasad M., Aydin A. Physical properties of carbonate fault rocks, fucino basin (Central Italy): implications for fault seal in platform carbonates. Geofluids 2007, 7(1):19-32.
4. Agosta F. Fluid flow properties of basin-bounding normal faults in platform carbonates, Fucino Basin, Central Italy. Geol. Soc. London Spec. Publ. 2008, 299:277-291.
5. Agosta F., Alessandroni M., Antonellini M., Tondi E., Giorgioni M. From fractures to flow: a field-based quantitative analysis of an outcropping carbonate reservoir. Tectonophysics 2010, 490(3-4):197-213.
6. Agosta F., Ruano P., Rustichelli A., Tondi E., Galindo-Zaldívar J., Sanz de Galdeano C. Inner structure and deformation mechanisms of normal faults in conglomerates and carbonate grainstones (Granada Basin, Betic Cordillera, Spain): inferences on fault permeability. J.Struct. Geol. 2012, 45:4-20.
7. Antonellini M., Aydin A. Effect of faulting on fluid flow in porous sandstones: petrophysical properties. AAPG Bull. 1994, 78(3):355-377.
8. Aydin A. Fractures, faults, and hydrocarbon entrapment, migration and flow. Mar. Petrol. Geol. 2000, 17(7):797-814.
9. Balsamo F., Storti F., Salvini F., Silva A.T., Lima C.C. Structural and petrophysical evolution of extensional fault zones in low-porosity, poorly lithified sandstones of the Barreiras Formation, NE Brazil. J.Struct. Geol. 2010, 32(11):1806-1826.
10. Berg S.S., Skar T. Controls on damage zone asymmetry of a normal fault zone: outcrop analyses of a segment of the Moab fault, SE Utah. J.Struct. Geol. 2005, 27(10):1803-1822.
11. Billi A., Salvini F., Storti F. The damage zone-fault core transition in carbonate rocks: implications for fault growth, structure and permeability. J.Struct. Geol. 2003, 25(11):1779-1794.
12. Billi A., Di Toro G. Fault-related carbonate rocks and earthquake indicators: recent advances and future trends. Structural Geology: New Research 2008, 63-86. Nova Science Publishers, New York. S.J. Landowe, G.M. Hammler (Eds.).
13. Bonson C.G., Childs C., Walsh J.J., Schopfer M.P.J., Carboni V. Geometric and kinematic controls on the internal structure of a large normal fault in massive limestones: the Maghlaq Fault, Malta. J.Struct. Geol. 2007, 29(2):336-354.
14. Brown E.T. Rock Characterisation Testing and Monitoring, ISRM Suggested Methods 1981, Pergamon Press, Oxford.
15. Bruhn R.L., Parry W.T., Yonkee W.A., Thompson T. Fracturing and hydrothermal alteration in normal fault zones. Pure Appl. Geophys. 1994, 142(3-4):609-644.
16. Caine J.S., Evans J.P., Forster C.B. Fault zone architecture and permeability structure. Geology 1996, 24(11):1025-1028.
17. Chester F.M., Logan J.M. Implications for mechanical properties of brittle faults from observations of the Punchbowl Fault Zone, California. Pure Appl. Geophys. 1986, 124(1-2):79-106.
18. Chester F., Evans J., Biegel R. Internal structure and weakening mechanisms of the San Andreas Fault. J.Geophys. Res. 1993, 98(B1):771-786.
19. Chester F.M., Chester J.S., Kirschner D.L., Schulz S.E., Evans J.P. Structure of Large-Displacement, Strike-slip Fault Zones in the Brittle Continental Crust. Rheology and Deformation in the Lithosphere at Continental Margins 2004, vol. 1:223-260. Columbia University Press, New York. G.D. Karner, B. Taylor, N.W. Driscoll, D.L. Kohlstedt (Eds.).
20. Childs C., Watterson J., Walsh J.J. Fault overlap zones within developing normal fault systems. J.Geol. Soc. 1995, 152:535-549.
21. Childs C., Watterson J., Walsh J.J. Amodel for the structure and development of fault zones. J.Geol. Soc. 1996, 153(3):337-340.
22. Childs C., Walsh J.J., Watterson J. Complexity in fault zone structure and implications for fault seal prediction. Spec. Public. Nor. Petrol. Soc. 1997, 7:61-72.
23. Childs C., Manzocchi T., Walsh J.J., Bonson C.G., Nicol A., Schöpfer M.P.J. Ageometric model of fault zone and fault rock thickness variations. J.Struct. Geol. 2009, 31(2):117-127.
24. Dart C.J., Bosence D.W.J., McClay K.R. Stratigraphy and structure of the Maltese graben system. J.Geol. Soc. 1993, 150(6):1153-1166.
25. Engelder J.T. Cataclasis and the generation of fault gouge. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 1974, 85(10):1515-1522.
26. Evans J.P., Forster C.B., Goddard J.V. Permeability of fault-related rocks, and implications for hydraulic structure of fault zones. J.Struct. Geol. 1997, 19(11):1393-1404.
27. Faulkner D.R., Lewis A.C., Rutter E.H. On the internal structure and mechanics of large strike-slip fault zones: field observations of the Carboneras fault in southeastern Spain. Tectonophysics 2003, 367(3-4):235-251.
28. Faulkner D.R., Jackson C.A.L., Lunn R.J., Schlische R.W., Shipton Z.K., Wibberley C.A.J., Withjack M.O. Areview of recent developments concerning the structure, mechanics and fluid flow properties of fault zones. J.Struct. Geol. 2010, 32(11):1557-1575.
29. Ferrill D.A., Morris A.P., McGinnis R.N., Smart K.J., Ward W.C. Fault zone deformation and displacement partitioning in mechanically layered carbonates: the Hidden Valley fault, central Texas. AAPG Bull. 2011, 95(8):1383-1397.
30. Fisher Q.J., Knipe R.J. Fault sealing processes in siliciclastic sediments. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 1998, vol. 147:117-134. G. Jones, Q.J. Fisher, R.J. Knipe (Eds.).
31. Flodin E., Gerdes M., Aydin A., Wiggins W. Petrophysical properties and sealing capacity of fault rock, Aztec Sandstone, Nevada. Faults, Fluid Flow, and Petroleum Traps: AAPG Memoir 2005, vol. 85:197-218.
32. Fondriest M., Smith S.A., Candela T., Nielsen S.B., Mair K., Di Toro G. Mirror-like faults and power dissipation during earthquakes. Geology 2013, 41(11):1175-1178.
33. Gaviglio P., Bekri S., Vandycke S., Adler P.M., Schroeder C., Bergerat F., Darquennes A., Coulon M. Faulting and deformation in chalk. J.Struct. Geol. 2009, 31(2):194-207.
34. Gratier J.-P., Thouvenot F., Jenatton L., Tourette A., Doan M.-L., Renard F. Geological control of the partitioning between seismic and aseismic sliding behaviour in active faults: evidence from the Western Alps, France. Tectonophysics 2013, 600:226-242.
35. Groshong R. Low-temperature deformation mechanisms and their interpretation. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 1988, 100:1329-1360.
36. Hausegger S., Kurz W., Rabitsch R., Kiechl E., Brosch F.J. Analysis of the internal structure of a carbonate damage zone: implications for the mechanisms of fault breccia formation and fluid flow. J.Struct. Geol. 2010, 32(9):1349-1362.
37. Hendron A.J. Mechanical properties of rock. Rock Mechanics in Engineering Practice 1968, Wiley, New York. K.G. Stagg, O.C. Zienkiewicz (Eds.).
38. House M.R., Dunham K.C., Wigglesworth J.C. Geology of the Maltese Islands. Malta, Background for Development 1961, 24-33. Univ. Durham. H. Bowen-Jones, J.C. Dewdney, W.B. Fisher (Eds.).
39. Huggins P., Watterson J., Walsh J.J., Childs C. Relay zone geometry and displacement transfer between normal faults recorded in coal-mine plans. J.Struct. Geol. 1995, 17(12):1741-1755.
40. Hugman R., Friedman M. Effects of texture and composition on mechanical behavior of experimentally deformed carbonate rocks. AAPG Bull. 1979, 63(9):1478-1489.
41. Hull J. Thickness-displacement relationships for deformation zones. J.Struct. Geol. 1988, 10(4):431-435.
42. Jeanne P., Guglielmi Y., Lamarche J., Cappa F., Marié L. Architectural characteristics and petrophysical properties evolution of a strike-slip fault zone in a fractured porous carbonate reservoir. J.Struct. Geol. 2012, 44:93-109.
43. Knipe R. The influence of fault zone processes and diagenesis on fluid flow. AAPG Studies in Geology 1993, vol. 36:135-154. A.D. Horbury, A.G. Robinson (Eds.).
44. Larsen P.H. Relay structures in a Lower Permian basement-involved extension system, East Greenland. J.Struct. Geol. 1988, 10(1):3-8.
45. Lockner D., Naka H., Tanaka H., Ito H., Ikeda R. Permeability and strength of core samples from the Nojima fault of the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Proceedings of the International Workshop on the Nojima Fault Core and Borehole Data Analysis 2000, 147-152. Tsukuba, Japan, Nov 22-23 (1999). U. S. Geol. Surv. H. Ito, K. Fujimoto, H. Tanaka, D. Lockner (Eds.).
46. Loveless S., Bense V., Turner J. Fault architecture and deformation processes within poorly lithified rift sediments, Central Greece. J.Struct. Geol. 2011, 33(11):1554-1568.
47. Mauldon M., Dershowitz W. Amulti-dimensional system of fracture abundance measures. Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr. Prog. 2000, 32(7).
48. Mauldon M., Dunne W.M., Rohrbaugh M.B. Circular scanlines and circular windows: new tools for characterizing the geometry of fracture traces. J.Struct. Geol. 2001, 23(2-3):247-258.
49. Micarelli L., Benedicto A., Wibberley C.A.J. Structural evolution and permeability of normal fault zones in highly porous carbonate rocks. J.Struct. Geol. 2006, 28(7):1214-1227.
50. Mitchell T.M., Faulkner D.R. The nature and origin of off-fault damage surrounding strike-slip fault zones with a wide range of displacements: a field study from the Atacama fault system, northern Chile. J.Struct. Geol. 2009, 31(8):802-816.
51. Molli G., Cortecci G., Vaselli L., Ottria G., Cortopassi A., Dinelli E., Mussi M., Barbieri M. Fault zone structure and fluid-rock interaction of a high angle normal fault in Carrara marble (NW Tuscany, Italy). J.Struct. Geol. 2010, 32(9):1334-1348.
52. Morris A.P., Ferrill D.A., McGinnis R.N. Mechanical stratigraphy and faulting in Cretaceous carbonates. AAPG Bull. 2009, 93(11):1459-1470.
53. Peacock D.C.P., Sanderson D.J. Displacements, segment linkage and relay ramps in normal fault zones. J.Struct. Geol. 1991, 13(6):721-733.
54. Peacock D.C.P., Zhang X. Field examples and numerical modelling of oversteps and bends along normal faults in cross-section. Tectonophysics 1994, 234(1-2):147-167.
55. Peacock D.C.P., Sanderson D.J. Pull-aparts, shear fractures and pressure solution. Tectonophysics 1995, 241(1-2):1-13.
56. Pedley H.M., House M.R., Waugh B. The geology of Malta and Gozo. Proc. Geol. Assoc. 1976, 87(3):325-341.
57. Pratt S.K. Hardground Genesis in Pelagic Carbonates from the Miocene of Malta and Cretaceous of Southern England 1990, Ph.D. Thesis, University of London.
58. Přikryl R. Some microstructural aspects of strength variation in rocks. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 2001, 38(5):671-682.
59. Putz-Perrier M.W., Sanderson D.J. Distribution of faults and extensional strain in fractured carbonates of the North Malta Graben. AAPG Bull. 2010, 94(4):435-456.
60. Riley P.R., Goodwin L.B., Lewis C.J. Controls on fault damage zone width, structure, and symmetry in the Bandelier Tuff, New Mexico. J.Struct. Geol. 2010, 32(6):766-780.
61. Robertson E.C. Continuous formation of gouge and breccia during fault displacement. Issues in Rock Mechanics, Proceeding Symposium 23rd of Rock Mechanics 1982, 397-404. American Institute of Mining and Engineering, New York. R.E. Goodman, F. Hulse (Eds.).
62. Rohrbaugh M.B., Dunne W.M., Mauldon M. Estimating fracture trace intensity, density, and mean length using circular scan lines and windows. AAPG Bull. 2002, 86(12):2089-2104.
63. Savage H.M., Brodsky E.E. Collateral damage: evolution with displacement of fracture distribution and secondary fault strands in fault damage zones. J.Geophys. Res. Solid Earth (1978-2012) 2011, 116(B3).
64. Schöpfer M.P.J., Childs C., Walsh J.J. Two-dimensional distinct element modeling of the structure and growth of normal faults in multilayer sequences: 1. Model calibration, boundary conditions, and selected results. J.Geophys. Res. Solid Earth (1978-2012) 2007, 112(B10).
65. Schöpfer M.P.J., Childs C., Walsh J.J., Manzocchi T., Koyi H.A. Geometrical analysis of the refraction and segmentation of normal faults in periodically layered sequences. J.Struct. Geol. 2007, 29(2):318-335.
66. Schöpfer M.P.J., Childs C., Walsh J.J. Two-dimensional Distinct Element Method (DEM) modeling of tectonic fault growth in mechanically layered sequences. Mechanics of Natural Solids 2009, 127-146. Springer Berlin, Heidelberg.
67. Schultz R.A., Siddharthan R. Ageneral framework for the occurrence and faulting of deformation bands in porous granular rocks. Tectonophysics 2005, 411(1):1-18.
68. Shipton Z.K., Cowie P.A. Aconceptual model for the origin of fault damage zone structures in high-porosity sandstone. J.Struct. Geol. 2003, 25(3):333-344.
69. Shipton Z.K., Soden A.M., Kirkpatrick J.D., Bright A.M., Lunn R.J. How thick is a fault?. Geophysical Monograph Series 2006, vol. 170:193-198.
70. Sibson R.H. Fault rocks and fault mechanisms. J.Geol. Soc. 1977, 133:191-213.
71. Sibson R.H. Structural permeability of fluid-driven fault-fracture meshes. J.Struct. Geol. 1996, 18(8):1031-1042.
72. Storti F., Billi A., Salvini F. Particle size distributions in natural carbonate fault rocks: insights for non-self-similar cataclasis. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 2003, 206(1-2):173-186.
73. Tondi E. Nucleation, development and petrophysical properties of faults in carbonate grainstones: evidence from the San Vito Lo Capo peninsula (Sicily, Italy). J.Struct. Geol. 2007, 29(4):614-628.
74. van Gent H.W., Holland M., Urai J.L., Loosveld R. Evolution of fault zones in carbonates with mechanical stratigraphy-Insights from scale models using layered cohesive powder. J.Struct. Geol. 2010, 32(9):1375-1391.
75. Vermilye J., Scholz C. The process zone: a microstructural view of fault growth. J.Geophys. Res. 1998, 103(B6):12223-12237.
76. Wibberley C.A.J., Yielding G., Di Toro G. Recent advances in the understanding of fault zone internal structure: a review. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2008, vol. 299 (1):5-33. C.A.J. Wibberley, W. Kurz, J. Imber, R.E. Holdsworth, C. Collettini (Eds.).
77. Wong T., David C., Zhu W. The transition from brittle faulting to cataclastic flow in porous sandstones: mechanical deformation. J.Geophys. Res. 1997, 102(B2):3009-3025.