Strain localization driven by thermal decomposition during seismic shear

Field and laboratory observations show that shear deformation is often extremely localized at seismic slip rates, with a typical deforming zone width on the order of a few tens of microns. This extreme localization can be understood in terms of thermally driven weakening mechanisms. A zone of initially high strain rate will experience more shear heating and thus weaken faster, making it more likely to accommodate subsequent deformation. Fault zones often contain thermally unstable minerals such as clays or carbonates, which devolatilize at the high temperatures attained during seismic slip. In this paper, we investigate how these thermal decomposition reactions drive strain localization when coupled to a model for thermal pressurization of in situ groundwater. Building on Rice et al. (2014), we use a linear stability analysis to predict a localized zone thickness that depends on a combination of hydraulic, frictional, and thermochemical properties of the deforming fault rock. Numerical simulations show that the onset of thermal decomposition drives additional strain localization when compared with thermal pressurization alone and predict localized zone thicknesses of ∼7 and ∼13 μm for lizardite and calcite, respectively. Finally we show how thermal diffusion and the endothermic reaction combine to limit the peak temperature of the fault and that the pore fluid released by the reaction provides additional weakening of ∼20–40% of the initial strength

Time-dependent recovery of microcrack damage and seismic wave speeds in deformed limestone

Limestone samples were deformed up to 5% inelastic axial strain at an effective confining pressure Peff=50 MPa in the cataclastic flow regime and subsequently maintained under constant static stress conditions (either isostatic of triaxial) for extended periods of time while elastic wave speeds and permeability were continuously monitored. During deformation, both seismic wave speeds and permeability decrease with increasing strain, due to the growth of subvertical microcracks and inelastic porosity reduction. During the static hold period under water-saturated conditions, the seismic wave speeds recovered gradually, typically by around 5% (relative to their initial value) after 2 days, while permeability remained constant. The recovery in wave speed increases with increasing confining pressure but decreases with increasing applied differential stress. The recovery is markedly lower when the samples are saturated with an inert fluid as opposed to water. The evolution in wave speed is interpreted quantitatively in terms of microcrack density, which shows that the post-deformation recovery is associated with a decrease in effective microcrack length, typically of the order to 10% after 2 days. The proposed mechanism for the observed damage recovery is microcrack closure due to a combination of backsliding on wing cracks driven by time-dependent friction and closure due to pressure solution at contacts between propping particles or asperities and microcrack walls. The recovery rates observed in the experiments, and the proposed underlying mechanisms, are compatible with seismological observations of seismic wave speed recovery along faults following earthquakes

Dilatancy toughening of shear cracks and implications for slow rupture propagation

Dilatancy associated with fault slip produces a transient pore pressure drop which increases frictional strength. This effect is analysed in a steadily propagating rupture model that includes frictional weakening, slip-dependent fault dilation and fluid flow. Dilatancy is shown to increase the stress intensity factor required to propagate the rupture tip. With increasing rupture speed, an undrained (strengthened) region develops near the tip and extends beyond the frictionally weakened zone. Away from the undrained region, pore fluid diffusion gradually recharges the fault and strength returns to the drained, weakened value. For sufficiently large rupture dimensions, the dilation-induced strength increase near the tip is equivalent to an increase in toughness that is proportional to the square root of the rupture speed. In general, dilation has the effect of increasing the stress required for rupture growth by decreasing the stress drop along the crack. Thermal pressurisation has the potential to compensate for the dilatant strengthening effect, at the expense of an increased heating rate, which might lead to premature frictional melting. Using reasonable laboratory parameters, the dilatancy-toughening effect leads to rupture dynamics that is quantitatively consistent with the dynamics of observed slow slip events in subduction zones

Dilatancy stabilises shear failure in rock

Failure and fault slip in crystalline rocks is associated with dilation. When pore fluids are present and drainage is insufficient, dilation leads to pore pressure drops, which in turn lead to strengthening of the material. We conducted laboratory rock fracture experiments with direct in-situ fluid pressure measurements which demonstrate that dynamic rupture propagation and fault slip can be stabilised (i.e., become quasi-static) by such a dilatancy strengthening effect. We also observe that, for the same effective pressures but lower pore fluid pressures, the stabilisation process may be arrested when the pore fluid pressure approaches zero and vaporises, resulting in dynamic shear failure. In case of a stable rupture, we witness continued prolonged slip after the main failure event that is the result of pore pressure recharge of the fault zone. All our observations are quantitatively explained by a spring-slider model combining slip-weakening behaviour, slip-induced dilation, and pore fluid diffusion. Using our data in an inverse problem, we estimate the key parameters controlling rupture stabilisation, fault dilation rate and fault zone storage. These estimates are used to make predictions for the pore pressure drop associated with faulting, and where in the crust we may expect dilatancy stabilisation or vaporisation during earthquakes. For intact rock and well consolidated faults, we expect strong dilatancy strengthening between 4 and 6 km depth regardless of ambient pore pressure, and at greater depths when the ambient pore pressure approaches lithostatic pressure. In the uppermost part of the crust (<4 km), we predict vaporisation of pore fluids that limits dilatancy strengthening. The depth estimates where dilatant stabilisation is most likely coincide with geothermal energy reservoirs in crystalline rock (typically between 2 and 5 km depth) and in regions where slow slip events are observed (pore pressure that approaches lithostatic pressure)

Fluid pressure heterogeneity during fluid flow in rocks: New laboratory measurement device and method

We present a new type of transducer capable of measuring local pore fluid pressure in jacketed rock samples under elevated confining pressure conditions. The transducers are passive (strain-gauge based), of small size (7 mm in diameter at the contact with the rock and around 10 mm in length), and have minimal dead volume (a few mm3). The transducers measure the differential pressure between the confining fluid and the internal pore pressure. The design is easily adaptable to tune the sensitivity and working pressure range up to several hundred megapascals. An array of four such transducers was tested during hydrostatic pressurization cycles on Darley Dale sandstone and Westerly granite. The prototypes show very good linearity up to 80 MPa with maximum deviations of the order of 0.25 MPa, regardless of the combination of pore and confining pressure. Multiple internal pore pressure measurements allow us to quantify the local decrease in permeability associated with faulting in Darley Dale sandstone, and also prove useful in tracking the development of pore pressure fronts during transient flow in low permeability Westerly granite

Sliding Crack Model for Nonlinearity and Hysteresis in the Triaxial Stress‐Strain Curve of Rock, and Application to Antigorite Deformation

Under triaxial deviatoric loading at stresses below failure, rocks generally exhibit nonlinearity and hysteresis in the stress‐strain curve. In 1965, Walsh first explained this behavior in terms of frictional sliding along the faces of closed microcracks. The hypothesis is that crack sliding is the dominant mode of rock inelasticity at moderate compressive stresses for certain rock types. Here we extend the model of David et al. (2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrmms.2012.02.001) to include (i) the effect of the confining stress; (ii) multiple load‐unload cycles; (iii) calculation of the dissipated strain energy upon unload‐reload; (iv) either frictional or cohesive behavior; and (v) either aligned or randomly oriented cracks. Closed‐form expressions are obtained for the effective Young's modulus during loading, unloading, and reloading, as functions of the mineral's Young's modulus, the crack density, the crack friction coefficient and cohesion for the frictional and cohesive sliding models, respectively, and the crack orientation in the case of aligned cracks. The dissipated energy per cycle is quadratic and linear in stress for the frictional and cohesive models, respectively. Both models provide a good fit to a cyclic loading data set on polycrystalline antigorite, based on a compilation of literature and newly acquired data, at various pressures and temperatures. At high pressure, with increasing temperature, the model results reveal a decrease in friction coefficient and a transition from a frictionally to a cohesively controlled behavior. New measurements of fracture toughness and tensile strength provide quantitative support that inelastic behavior in antigorite is predominantly caused by shear crack sliding and propagation without dilatancy

Control of serpentinisation rate by reaction-induced cracking

Serpentinisation of mantle rocks requires the generation and maintenance of transport pathways for water. The solid volume increase during serpentinisation can lead to stress build-up and trigger cracking, which ease fluid penetration into the rock. The quantitative effect of this reaction-induced cracking mechanism on reactive surface generation is poorly constrained, thus hampering our ability to predict serpentinisation rate in geological environments. Here we use a combined approach with numerical modelling and observations in natural samples to provide estimates of serpentinisation rate at mid-ocean ridges. We develop a micromechanical model to quantify the propagation of serpentinisation-induced cracks in olivine. The maximum crystallisation pressure deduced from thermodynamic calculations reaches several hundreds of megapascals but does not necessary lead to crack propagation if the olivine grain is subjected to high compressive stresses. The micromechanical model is then coupled to a simple geometrical model to predict reactive surface area formation during grain splitting, and thus bulk reaction rate. Our model reproduces quantitatively experimental kinetic data and the typical mesh texture formed during serpentinisation. We also compare the model results with olivine grain size distribution data obtained on natural serpentinised peridotites from the Marum ophiolite and the Papuan ultramafic belt (Papua New Guinea). The natural serpentinised peridotites show an increase of the number of olivine grains for a decrease of the mean grain size by one order of magnitude as reaction progresses from 5 to 40%. These results are in agreement with our model predictions, suggesting that reaction-induced cracking controls the serpentinisation rate. We use our model to estimate that, at mid-ocean ridges, serpentinisation occurs up to 12km depth and reaction-induced cracking reduces the characteristic time of serpentinisation by one order of magnitude, down to values comprised between 10 and 1000yr. The increase of effective pressure with depth also prevents cracking, which positions the peak in serpentinisation rate at shallower depths, 4km above previous predictions

A high pressure, high temperature gas medium apparatus to measure acoustic velocities during deformation of rock

A new set-up to measure acoustic wave velocities through deforming rock samples at high pressures (<1 GPa), temperatures (<1000$^\circ$C) and loads (<1.5 GPa) has been developed in a recently refurbished gas medium triaxial deformation apparatus. The conditions span a wide range of geological environments, and allow us to accurately measure stress and strains at conditions which are typically only accessible in solid medium apparatus. Calibrations of our newly constructed internal furnace up to 1 GPa and 400$^\circ$C demonstrate that hot zone position decreases with increasing pressure, so that sample position is adjusted to minimise temperature gradients. Ultrasonic velocity measurements are conducted in the direction of compression by the pulse-transmission method. Arrival times are corrected from delays in the sample assembly and relative measurements are obtained by cross-correlation. Delays in reflected load are nearly linearly dependent on applied load due to load dependent stiffness of interfaces between the spacers and the sample. Measurements of such delays can be used to infer sample load internally. We illustrate the working of the apparatus by conducting experiments on limestone at 200 MPa confining pressure and room temperature and 400$^\circ$C. Ultrasonic data clearly show that deformation is dominated by microcracking at low temperature and by intracrystalline plasticity at high temperature

Time-resolved tomography using acoustic emissions in the laboratory, and application to sandstone compaction

Acoustic emission (AE) and active ultrasonic wave velocity monitoring are often performed during laboratory rock deformation experiments, but are typically processed separately to yield homogenized wave velocity measurements and approximate source locations. Here, I present a numerical method and its implementation in a free software to perform a joint inversion of AE locations together with the 3-D, anisotropic P-wave structure of laboratory samples. The data used are the P-wave first arrivals obtained from AEs and active ultrasonic measurements. The model parameters are the source locations and the P-wave velocity and anisotropy parameter (assuming transverse isotropy) at discrete points in the material. The forward problem is solved using the fast marching method, and the inverse problem is solved by the quasi-Newton method. The algorithms are implemented within an integrated free software package called FaATSO (Fast Marching Acoustic Emission Tomography using Standard Optimisation). The code is employed to study the formation of compaction bands in a porous sandstone. During deformation, a front of AEs progresses from one end of the sample, associated with the formation of a sequence of horizontal compaction bands. Behind the active front, only sparse AEs are observed, but the tomography reveals that the P-wave velocity has dropped by up to 15 per cent, with an increase in anisotropy of up to 20 per cent. Compaction bands in sandstones are therefore shown to produce sharp changes in seismic properties. This result highlights the potential of the methodology to image temporal variations of elastic properties in complex geomaterials, including the dramatic, localized changes associated with microcracking and damage generation

Dynamic weakening and amorphization in serpentinite during laboratory earthquakes

The mechanical properties of serpentinites are key factors in our understanding of the dynamics of earthquake ruptures in subduction zones, especially intermediate-depth earthquakes. Here, we performed shear rupture experiments on natural antigorite serpentinite, which showed that friction reaches near-zero values during spontaneous dynamic rupture propagation. Rapid coseismic slip (>1 m/s), although it occurs over short distances (<1 mm), induces significant overheating of microscale asperities along the sliding surface, sufficient to produce surface amorphization and likely some melting. Antigorite dehydration occurs in the fault walls, which leaves a partially amorphized material. The water generated potentially contributes to the production of a low-viscosity pressurized melt, explaining the near-zero dynamic friction levels observed in some events. The rapid and dramatic dynamic weakening in serpentinite might be a key process facilitating the propagation of earthquakes at intermediate depths in subduction zones