scholarly journals The Deep Structure and Rheology of a Plate Boundary-Scale Shear Zone: Constraints from an Exhumed Caledonian Shear Zone, NW Scotland

Lithosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander D. J. Lusk ◽  
John P. Platt
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Shear Zone ◽  
Deep Structure ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Seismogenic Zone ◽  
Differential Stress ◽  
Peak Shear Stress ◽  
Thrust Zone ◽  
Crustal Strength

Abstract Below the seismogenic zone, faults are expressed as zones of distributed ductile strain in which minerals deform chiefly by crystal plastic and diffusional processes. We present a case study from the Caledonian frontal thrust system in northwest Scotland to better constrain the geometry, internal structure, and rheology of a major zone of reverse-sense shear below the brittle-to-ductile transition (BDT). Rocks now exposed at the surface preserve a range of shear zone conditions reflecting progressive exhumation of the shear zone during deformation. Field-based measurements of structural distance normal to the Moine Thrust Zone, which marks the approximate base of the shear zone, together with microstructural observations of active slip systems and the mechanisms of deformation and recrystallization in quartz, are paired with quantitative estimates of differential stress, deformation temperature, and pressure. These are used to reconstruct the internal structure and geometry of the Scandian shear zone from ~10 to 20 km depth. We document a shear zone that localizes upwards from a thickness of >2.5 km to <200 m with temperature ranging from ~450–350°C and differential stress from 15–225 MPa. We use estimates of deformation conditions in conjunction with independently calculated strain rates to compare between experimentally derived constitutive relationships and conditions observed in naturally-deformed rocks. Lastly, pressure and converted shear stress are used to construct a crustal strength profile through this contractional orogen. We calculate a peak shear stress of ~130 MPa in the shallowest rocks which were deformed at the BDT, decreasing to <10 MPa at depths of ~20 km. Our results are broadly consistent with previous studies which find that the BDT is the strongest region of the crust.

scholarly journals The internal structure and composition of a plate boundary-scale serpentinite shear zone: The Livingstone Fault, New Zealand

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Tarling ◽  
Steven A. F. Smith ◽  
James M. Scott ◽  
Jeremy S. Rooney ◽  
Cecilia Viti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Shear Zone ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
East Side ◽  
Local Dispersion ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Shear Sense ◽  
Tectonic Settings

Abstract. Deciphering the internal structural and composition of large serpentinite-dominated shear zones will lead to an improved understanding of the rheology of the lithosphere in a range of tectonic settings. The Livingstone Fault in New Zealand is a > 1000 km long terrane-bounding structure that separates the basal portions (peridotite; serpentinised peridotite; metagabbros) of the Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt from quartzofeldspathic schists of the Caples or Aspiring Terranes. Field and microstructural observations from eleven localities along a strike length of c. 140 km show that the Livingstone Fault is a steeply-dipping, serpentinite-dominated shear zone tens to several hundreds of metres wide. The bulk shear zone has a pervasive scaly fabric that wraps around fractured and faulted pods of massive serpentinite, rodingite and partially metasomatised quartzofeldspathic schist up to a few tens of metres long. S-C fabrics and lineations in the shear zone consistently indicate a steep Caples-side-up (i.e. east-side-up) shear sense, with significant local dispersion in kinematics where the shear zone fabrics wrap around pods. The scaly fabric is dominated (> 98 vol %) by fine-grained (≪ 10 μm) fibrous chrysotile and lizardite/polygonal serpentine, but infrequent (

scholarly journals Supplementary material to "The internal structure and composition of a plate boundary-scale serpentinite shear zone: The Livingstone Fault, New Zealand"

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Tarling ◽  
Steven A. F. Smith ◽  
James M. Scott ◽  
Jeremy S. Rooney ◽  
Cecilia Viti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Shear Zone ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Supplementary Material

scholarly journals The internal structure and composition of a plate-boundary-scale serpentinite shear zone: the Livingstone Fault, New Zealand

Solid Earth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1025-1047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Tarling ◽  
Steven A. F. Smith ◽  
James M. Scott ◽  
Jeremy S. Rooney ◽  
Cecilia Viti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Shear Zone ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
Pressure Solution ◽  
Local Dispersion ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Shear Sense ◽  
Zone Deformation

Abstract. Deciphering the internal structure and composition of large serpentinite-dominated shear zones will lead to an improved understanding of the rheology of the lithosphere in a range of tectonic settings. The Livingstone Fault in New Zealand is a terrane-bounding structure that separates the basal portions (peridotite; serpentinised peridotite; metagabbros) of the Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt from the quartzofeldspathic schists of the Caples and Aspiring Terrane. Field and microstructural observations from 11 localities along a strike length of ca. 140 km show that the Livingstone Fault is a steeply dipping, serpentinite-dominated shear zone tens of metres to several hundred metres wide. The bulk shear zone has a pervasive scaly fabric that wraps around fractured and faulted pods of massive serpentinite, rodingite and partially metasomatised quartzofeldspathic schist up to a few tens of metres long. S–C fabrics and lineations in the shear zone consistently indicate a steep east-side-up shear sense, with significant local dispersion in kinematics where the shear zone fabrics wrap around pods. The scaly fabric is dominated (>98 % vol) by fine-grained (≪10 µm) fibrous chrysotile and lizardite–polygonal serpentine, but infrequent (<1 % vol) lenticular relicts of antigorite are also preserved. Dissolution seams and foliation surfaces enriched in magnetite, as well as the widespread growth of fibrous chrysotile in veins and around porphyroclasts, suggest that bulk shear zone deformation involved pressure–solution. Syn-kinematic metasomatic reactions occurred along all boundaries between serpentinite, schist and rodingite, forming multigenerational networks of nephritic tremolite veins that are interpreted to have caused reaction hardening within metasomatised portions of the shear zone. We propose a conceptual model for plate-boundary-scale serpentinite shear zones which involves bulk-distributed deformation by pressure–solution creep, accompanied by a range of physical (e.g. faulting in pods and wall rocks; smearing of magnetite along fault surfaces) or chemical (e.g. metasomatism) processes that result in localised brittle deformation within creeping shear zone segments.

Fatigue Tolerance of Aged Asphalt Binders Modified with Softeners

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110255
Author(s):  
Javier J. García Mainieri ◽  
Punit Singhvi ◽  
Hasan Ozer ◽  
Brajendra K. Sharma ◽  
Imad L. Al-Qadi
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Asphalt Binder ◽  
Fatigue Cracking ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Complex Stress ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Asphalt Binders ◽  
Failure Patterns ◽  
Peak Shear Stress

Fatigue cracking caused by repeated heavy traffic loading is a critical distress in asphalt concrete pavements and is significantly affected by the selected binder. In recent years, the growing use of recycled asphalt materials has increased the need for the production of softer asphalt binder. Various modifiers/additives are marketed to adjust the grade and/or enhance the binder performance at high and low temperatures. The modifiers are expected to alter the rheological and chemical characteristics of binders and, therefore, their performance. In this study, the damage characteristics of modified and unmodified binders, at standard long-term and extended aging conditions, were tested using the linear amplitude sweep (LAS) test. Current data-interpretation methods for LAS measurements (including AASHTO TP 101-12, T 391-20, and recent literature) showed inconsistent results for modified binders. An alternative method to interpret LAS results was developed in this study. The method considers the data until peak shear-stress is reached because complex stress states and failure patterns are observed in the specimens after that point. The proposed parameter (Δ| G*|peak τ) quantifies the reduction in complex shear modulus measured at the peak shear-stress. The parameter successfully captures the effect of aging and modification of binders.

Effects of heterogeneity on frictional-viscous deformation and the depth-extent of the seismogenic zone

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ake Fagereng ◽  
Adam Beall
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Yield Strength ◽  
Fault Zone ◽  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Local Stress ◽  
Seismogenic Zone ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Viscous Deformation ◽  
Viscosity Contrast ◽  
Depth Extent

&lt;p&gt;Current conceptual fault models define a seismogenic zone, where earthquakes nucleate, characterised by velocity-weakening fault rocks in a dominantly frictional regime. The base of the seismogenic zone is commonly inferred to coincide with a thermally controlled onset of velocity-strengthening slip or distributed viscous deformation. The top of the seismogenic zone may be determined by low-temperature diagenetic processes and the state of consolidation and alteration. Overall, the seismogenic zone is therefore described as bounded by transitions in frictional and rheological properties. These properties are relatively well-determined for monomineralic systems and simple, planar geometries; but, many exceptions, including deep earthquakes, slow slip, and shallow creep, imply processes involving compositional, structural, or environmental heterogeneities. We explore how such heterogeneities may alter the extent of the seismogenic zone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We consider mixed viscous-frictional deformation and suggest a simple rule of thumb to estimate the role of heterogeneities by a combination of the viscosity contrast within the fault, and the ratio between the bulk shear stress and the yield strength of the strongest fault zone component. In this model, slip behaviour can change dynamically in response to stress and strength variations with depth and time. We quantify the model numerically, and illustrate the idea with a few field-based examples: 1) earthquakes within the viscous regime, deeper than the thermally-controlled seismogenic zone, can be triggered by an increase in the ratio of shear stress to yield strength, either by increased fluid pressure or increased local stress; 2) there is commonly a depth range of transitional behaviour at the base of the seismogenic zone &amp;#8211; the thickness of this zone increases markedly with increased viscosity contrast within the fault zone; and 3) fault zone weakening by phyllosilicate growth and foliation development increases viscosity ratio and decreases bulk shear stress, leading to efficient, stable, fault zone creep. These examples are not new interpretations or observations, but given the substantial complexity of heterogeneous fault zones, we suggest that a simplified, conceptual model based on basic strength and stress parameters is useful in describing and assessing the effect of heterogeneities on fault slip behaviour.&amp;#160; &amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Testing the influence of a sand mica mixture on basin fill in extension and inversion experiments

2015 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLINE J.S. GOMES ◽  
TAYNARA D'ANGELO ◽  
GISELA M.S. ALMEIDA
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Normal Faults ◽  
Striking Difference ◽  
Fault Propagation ◽  
Peak Shear Stress ◽  
Internal Deformation ◽  
Deformation Patterns ◽  
And Inversion ◽  
Basin Fill

We compare the deformation patterns produced by sand and a sand mica mixture (14:1 ratio of sand to mica by weight) while simulating basin fill in extension and inversion models to analyze the potential of the sand mica mixture for applications that require a strong elasto-frictional plastic analogue material in physical models. Sand and the sand mica mixture have nearly equal angles of internal friction, but the sand mica mixture deforms at a significantly lower level of peak shear stress. In extension, the sand mica mixture basin fill experiments show fewer normal faults. During inversion, the most striking difference between the sand and the sand mica mixture basin fill experiments is related to the internal deformation in fault-propagation folds, which increases with an increase in the basal friction. We conclude that our strongly elasto-frictional plastic sand mica mixture may be used to simulate folds in experiments that focus on mild inversion in the brittle crust.

scholarly journals Fluid-mediated, brittle–ductile deformation at seismogenic depth – Part 2: Stress history and fluid pressure variations in a shear zone in a nuclear waste repository (Olkiluoto Island, Finland)

Solid Earth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 489-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Prando ◽  
Luca Menegon ◽  
Mark Anderson ◽  
Barbara Marchesini ◽  
Jussi Mattila ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shear Zone ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Strain Localization ◽  
Microstructural Analysis ◽  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
Brittle Deformation ◽  
Differential Stress ◽  
Brittle Ductile Transition

Abstract. The microstructural record of fault rocks active at the brittle–ductile transition zone (BDTZ) may retain information on the rheological parameters driving the switch in deformation mode and on the role of stress and fluid pressure in controlling different fault slip behaviours. In this study we analysed the deformation microstructures of the strike-slip fault zone BFZ045 in Olkiluoto (SW Finland), located in the site of a deep geological repository for nuclear waste. We combined microstructural analysis, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and mineral chemistry data to reconstruct the variations in pressure, temperature, fluid pressure, and differential stress that mediated deformation and strain localization along BFZ045 across the BDTZ. BFZ045 exhibits a mixed ductile–brittle deformation, with a narrow (<20 cm thick) brittle fault core with cataclasites and pseudotachylytes that overprint a wider (60–100 cm thick) quartz-rich mylonite. Mylonitic deformation took place at 400–500 ∘C and 3–4 kbar, typical of the greenschist facies metamorphism at the base of the seismogenic crust. We used the recrystallized grain size piezometry for quartz to document a progressive increase in differential stress, from ca. 50 to ca. 120 MPa, towards the shear zone centre during mylonitization and strain localization. Syn-kinematic quartz veins formed along the mylonitic foliation due to transiently high pore fluid pressure (up to lithostatic value). The overprint of the veins by dynamic recrystallization and mylonitic creep is further evidence of the occurrence of brittle events under overall ductile conditions. We propose a conceptual model in which the ductile–brittle deformation cycle was controlled by transient oscillations in fluid pressure and progressively higher differential stress, possibly occurring in a narrowing shear zone deforming towards the peak strength of the crust at the BDTZ.

The effects of expansion on the turbulence structure of compressible boundary layers

1998 ◽  
Vol 367 ◽  
pp. 67-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN A. ARNETTE ◽  
MO SAMIMY ◽  
GREGORY S. ELLIOTT
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Shear Stress ◽  
Reynolds Shear Stress ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Turbulence Structure ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Measured Velocity ◽  
Vorticity Transport

A fully developed Mach 3 turbulent boundary layer subjected to four expansion regions (centred and gradual expansions of 7° and 14°) was investigated with laser Doppler velocimetry. Measurements were acquired in the incoming flat-plate boundary layer and to s/δ≃20 downstream of the expansions. While mean velocity profiles exhibit significant progress towards recovery by the most downstream measurements, the turbulence structure remains far from equilibrium. Comparisons of computed (method of characteristics) and measured velocity profiles indicate that the post-expansion flow evolution is largely inviscid for approximately 10δ. Turbulence levels decrease across the expansion, and the reductions increase in severity as the wall is approached. Downstream of the 14° expansions, the reductions are more severe and reverse transition is indicated by sharp reductions in turbulent kinetic energy levels and a change in sign of the Reynolds shear stress. Dimensionless parameters such as anisotropy and shear stress correlation coefficient highlight the complex evolution of the post-expansion boundary layer. An examination of the compressible vorticity transport equation and estimates of the perturbation impulses attributable to streamline curvature, acceleration, and dilatation both confirm dilatation to be the primary stabilizer. However, the dilatation impulse increases only slightly for the 14° expansions, so the dramatic differences downstream of the 7° and 14° expansions indicate nonlinear boundary layer response. Differences attributable to the varied radii of surface curvature are fleeting for the 7° expansions, but persist through the spatial extent of the measurements for the 14° expansions.

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