Articles | Volume 10, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-537-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-537-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Apr 2019
Research article |
| 17 Apr 2019
A new methodology to train fracture network simulation using multiple-point statistics
Pierre-Olivier Bruna
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geoscience and Engineering, Delft University of Technology,
Delft, the Netherlands
Julien Straubhaar
Centre d'hydrogéologie et de géothermie (CHYN), Université de
Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Rahul Prabhakaran
Department of Geoscience and Engineering, Delft University of Technology,
Delft, the Netherlands
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Section of Energy Technology,
Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Giovanni Bertotti
Department of Geoscience and Engineering, Delft University of Technology,
Delft, the Netherlands
Kevin Bisdom
Shell Global Solutions International B.V., Grasweg 31, 1031HW Amsterdam, the
Netherlands
Grégoire Mariethoz
University of Lausanne, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST)
UNIL-Mouline, Geopolis, office 3337, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Marco Meda
ENI Spa, Upstream and Technical Services, San Donato Milanese, Italy
Related authors
Rahul Prabhakaran, Pierre-Olivier Bruna, Giovanni Bertotti, and David Smeulders
Solid Earth, 10, 2137–2166, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-2137-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-2137-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This contribution describes a technique to automatically extract digitized fracture patterns from images of fractured rock. Digitizing fracture patterns, accurately and rapidly with minimal human intervention, is a desirable objective in fractured rock characterization. Our method can extract fractures at varying scales of rock discontinuities, and results are presented from three different outcrop settings. The method enables faster processing of copious amounts of fractured outcrop image data.
Mathieu Gravey and Grégoire Mariethoz
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 5265–5279, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5265-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5265-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Multiple‐point geostatistics are widely used to simulate complex spatial structures based on a training image. The use of these methods relies on the possibility of finding optimal training images and parametrization of the simulation algorithms. Here, we propose finding an optimal set of parameters using only the training image as input. The main advantage of our approach is to remove the risk of overfitting an objective function.
Annelotte Weert, Kei Ogata, Francesco Vinci, Coen Leo, Giovanni Bertotti, Jerome Amory, and Stefano Tavani
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1126, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1126, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
On the road to a sustainable planet, geothermal energy is considered as one of the main substitutes when it comes to heating. The geological history of an area can have a major influence on the application of these geothermal systems, as demonstrated in the West Netherlands Basin. Here, multiple episodes of rifting and subsequent inversion have influenced the distribution of the reservoir rocks, thus influencing the locations where geothermal energy can be applied.
Nadav Peleg, Herminia Torelló-Sentelles, Grégoire Mariéthoz, Lionel Benoit, João P. Leitão, and Francesco Marra
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1233–1240, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1233-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1233-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Floods in urban areas are one of the most common natural hazards. Due to climate change enhancing extreme rainfall and cities becoming larger and denser, the impacts of these events are expected to increase. A fast and reliable flood warning system should thus be implemented in flood-prone cities to warn the public of upcoming floods. The purpose of this brief communication is to discuss the potential implementation of low-cost acoustic rainfall sensors in short-term flood warning systems.
Fabio Oriani, Gregoire Mariethoz, and Manuel Chevalier
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-364, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-364, 2023
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Modern and fossil pollen data contain precious information to reconstruct pas climate and environment. However, these data are only achieved for single locations with no continuity in space. We present here a systematic atlas of 194 digital maps containing the spatial estimation of contemporary pollen presence over Europe. This dataset constitutes a free and ready-to-use tool to study climate, biodiversity, and environment in time and space.
Moctar Dembélé, Mathieu Vrac, Natalie Ceperley, Sander J. Zwart, Josh Larsen, Simon J. Dadson, Grégoire Mariéthoz, and Bettina Schaefli
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 1481–1506, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1481-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1481-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change impacts on water resources in the Volta River basin are investigated under various global warming scenarios. Results reveal contrasting changes in future hydrological processes and water availability, depending on greenhouse gas emission scenarios, with implications for floods and drought occurrence over the 21st century. These findings provide insights for the elaboration of regional adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change.
Alexis Neven, Valentin Dall'Alba, Przemysław Juda, Julien Straubhaar, and Philippe Renard
The Cryosphere, 15, 5169–5186, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5169-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5169-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present and compare different geostatistical methods for underglacial bedrock interpolation. Variogram-based interpolations are compared with a multipoint statistics approach on both test cases and real glaciers. Using the modeled bedrock, the ice volume for the Scex Rouge and Tsanfleuron glaciers (Swiss Alps) was estimated to be 113.9 ± 1.6 million cubic meters. Complex karstic geomorphological features are reproduced and can be used to improve the precision of underglacial flow estimation.
Rahul Prabhakaran, Giovanni Bertotti, Janos Urai, and David Smeulders
Solid Earth, 12, 2159–2209, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2159-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2159-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Rock fractures are organized as networks with spatially varying arrangements. Due to networks' influence on bulk rock behaviour, it is important to quantify network spatial variation. We utilize an approach where fracture networks are treated as spatial graphs. By combining graph similarity measures with clustering techniques, spatial clusters within large-scale fracture networks are identified and organized hierarchically. The method is validated on a dataset with nearly 300 000 fractures.
Zhenjiao Jiang, Dirk Mallants, Lei Gao, Tim Munday, Gregoire Mariethoz, and Luk Peeters
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 3421–3435, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-3421-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-3421-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Fast and reliable tools are required to extract hidden information from big geophysical and remote sensing data. A deep-learning model in 3D image construction from 2D image(s) is here developed for paleovalley mapping from globally available digital elevation data. The outstanding performance for 3D subsurface imaging gives confidence that this generic novel tool will make better use of existing geophysical and remote sensing data for improved management of limited earth resources.
Moctar Dembélé, Bettina Schaefli, Nick van de Giesen, and Grégoire Mariéthoz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5379–5406, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5379-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5379-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study evaluates 102 combinations of rainfall and temperature datasets from satellite and reanalysis sources as input to a fully distributed hydrological model. The model is recalibrated for each input dataset, and the outputs are evaluated with streamflow, evaporation, soil moisture and terrestrial water storage data. Results show that no single rainfall or temperature dataset consistently ranks first in reproducing the spatio-temporal variability of all hydrological processes.
Valentin Dall'Alba, Philippe Renard, Julien Straubhaar, Benoit Issautier, Cédric Duvail, and Yvan Caballero
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4997–5013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4997-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4997-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Due to climate and population evolution, increased pressure is put on the groundwater resource, which calls for better understanding and models. In this paper, we describe a novel workflow to model the geological heterogeneity of coastal aquifers and apply it to the Roussillon plain (southern France). The main strength of the workflow is its capability to model aquifer heterogeneity when only sparse data are available while honoring the local geological trends and quantifying uncertainty.
Jason Bula, Marc-Henri Derron, and Gregoire Mariethoz
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 9, 385–396, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-385-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-385-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a method to acquire dense point clouds with a low-cost Velodyne Puck lidar system, without using expensive Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning or IMU. We mounted the lidar on a motor to continuously change the scan direction, leading to a significant increase in the point cloud density. The system was compared with a more expensive system based on IMU registration and a SLAM algorithm. The alignment between acquisitions with those two systems is within 2 m.
Christopher Weismüller, Rahul Prabhakaran, Martijn Passchier, Janos L. Urai, Giovanni Bertotti, and Klaus Reicherter
Solid Earth, 11, 1773–1802, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1773-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1773-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We photographed a fractured limestone pavement with a drone to compare manual and automatic fracture tracing and analyze the evolution and spatial variation of the fracture network in high resolution. We show that automated tools can produce results comparable to manual tracing in shorter time but do not yet allow the interpretation of fracture generations. This work pioneers the automatic fracture mapping of a complete outcrop in detail, and the results can be used as fracture benchmark.
Mathieu Gravey and Grégoire Mariethoz
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 2611–2630, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-2611-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-2611-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Stochastic simulations are key tools to generate complex spatial structures uses as input in geoscientific models. In this paper, we present a new open-source tool that enables to simulate complex structures in a straightforward and efficient manner, based on analogues. The method is tested on a variety of use cases to demonstrate the generality of the framework.
Lionel Benoit, Mathieu Vrac, and Gregoire Mariethoz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2841–2854, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2841-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2841-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
At subdaily resolution, rain intensity exhibits a strong variability in space and time due to the diversity of processes that produce rain (e.g., frontal storms, mesoscale convective systems and local convection). In this paper we explore a new method to simulate rain type time series conditional to meteorological covariates. Afterwards, we apply stochastic rain type simulation to the downscaling of precipitation of a regional climate model.
Rahul Prabhakaran, Pierre-Olivier Bruna, Giovanni Bertotti, and David Smeulders
Solid Earth, 10, 2137–2166, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-2137-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-2137-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This contribution describes a technique to automatically extract digitized fracture patterns from images of fractured rock. Digitizing fracture patterns, accurately and rapidly with minimal human intervention, is a desirable objective in fractured rock characterization. Our method can extract fractures at varying scales of rock discontinuities, and results are presented from three different outcrop settings. The method enables faster processing of copious amounts of fractured outcrop image data.
James M. Thornton, Gregoire Mariethoz, Tristan J. Brauchli, and Philip Brunner
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2019-181, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2019-181, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Meltwater runoff from steep mountainous terrain holds great societal and ecological importance. Predicting snow dynamics in unmonitored areas and/or under changed climate requires computer simulations. Yet variability in alpine snow patterns poses a considerable challenge. Here we combine existing tools with high-resolution observations to both constrain and quantify the uncertainty in historical simulations. Snowpack evolution was satisfactorily reproduced and uncertainty substantially reduced.
Zhenjiao Jiang, Dirk Mallants, Luk Peeters, Lei Gao, Camilla Soerensen, and Gregoire Mariethoz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2561–2580, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2561-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2561-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Paleovalleys often form productive aquifers in the semiarid and arid areas. A methodology based on deep learning is introduced to automatically generate high-resolution 3-D paleovalley maps from low-resolution electrical conductivity data derived from airborne geophysical surveys. It is validated by borehole logs and the surface valley indices that the proposed method in this study provides an effective tool for regional-scale paleovalley mapping and groundwater exploration.
Lionel Benoit, Aurelie Gourdon, Raphaël Vallat, Inigo Irarrazaval, Mathieu Gravey, Benjamin Lehmann, Günther Prasicek, Dominik Gräff, Frederic Herman, and Gregoire Mariethoz
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 579–588, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-579-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-579-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This dataset provides a collection of 10 cm resolution orthomosaics and digital elevation models of the Gornergletscher glacial system (Switzerland). Raw data have been acquired every 2 weeks by intensive UAV surveys and cover the summer 2017. A careful photogrammetric processing ensures the geometrical coherence of the whole dataset.
Qiyu Chen, Gregoire Mariethoz, Gang Liu, Alessandro Comunian, and Xiaogang Ma
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 6547–6566, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6547-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6547-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
One of the critical issues in MPS simulation is the difficulty in obtaining a credible 3-D training image. We propose an MPS-based 3-D reconstruction method on the basis of 2-D cross sections, making 3-D training images unnecessary. The main advantages of this approach are the high computational efficiency and a relaxation of the stationarity assumption. The results, in comparison with previous MPS methods, show better performance in portraying anisotropy characteristics and in CPU cost.
Lionel Benoit, Mathieu Vrac, and Gregoire Mariethoz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5919–5933, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5919-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5919-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We propose a method for unsupervised classification of the space–time–intensity structure of weather radar images. The resulting classes are interpreted as rain types, i.e. pools of rain fields with homogeneous statistical properties. Rain types can in turn be used to define stationary periods for further stochastic rainfall modelling. The application of rain typing to real data indicates that non-stationarity can be significant within meteorological seasons, and even within a single storm.
Adrian A. S. Barfod, Troels N. Vilhelmsen, Flemming Jørgensen, Anders V. Christiansen, Anne-Sophie Høyer, Julien Straubhaar, and Ingelise Møller
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5485–5508, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5485-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5485-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The focus of this study is on the uncertainty related to using multiple-point statistics (MPS) for stochastic modeling of the upper 200 m of the subsurface. The main research goal is to showcase how MPS methods can be used on real-world hydrogeophysical data and show how the uncertainty related to changing the underlying MPS setup propagates into the finalized 3-D subsurface models.
Adrian A. S. Barfod, Ingelise Møller, Anders V. Christiansen, Anne-Sophie Høyer, Júlio Hoffimann, Julien Straubhaar, and Jef Caers
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3351–3373, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3351-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3351-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Three-dimensional geological models are important to securing and managing groundwater. Such models describe the geological architecture, which is used for modeling the flow of groundwater. Common geological modeling approaches result in one model, which does not quantify the architectural uncertainty of the geology.
We present a comparison of three different state-of-the-art stochastic multiple-point statistical methods for quantifying the geological uncertainty using real-world datasets.
Kashif Mahmud, Gregoire Mariethoz, Andy Baker, and Pauline C. Treble
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 977–988, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-977-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-977-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the relationship between drip water and rainfall in a SW Australian karst, where both intra- and interannual hydrological variations are strongly controlled by seasonal variations in recharge. The hydrological behavior of cave drips is examined at daily resolution with respect to mean discharge and the flow variation. We demonstrate that the analysis of the time series produced by cave drip loggers generates useful hydrogeological information that can be applied generally.
K. Mahmud, G. Mariethoz, A. Baker, P. C. Treble, M. Markowska, and E. McGuire
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 359–373, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-359-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-359-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Caves offer a natural inception point to observe both the long-term groundwater recharge and the preferential movement of water through the unsaturated zone of such limestone. In this study, we develop a method that combines automated drip rate logging systems and remote sensing techniques to quantify the infiltration processes within a cave.
F. Oriani, J. Straubhaar, P. Renard, and G. Mariethoz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 3015–3031, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3015-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3015-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Subject area: Tectonic plate interactions, magma genesis, and lithosphere deformation at all scales | Editorial team: Structural geology and tectonics, paleoseismology, rock physics, experimental deformation | Discipline: Structural geology
Natural fracture patterns at Swift Reservoir anticline, NW Montana: the influence of structural position and lithology from multiple observation scales
Rapid hydration and weakening of anhydrite under stress: implications for natural hydration in the Earth's crust and mantle
Analogue experiments on releasing and restraining bends and their application to the study of the Barents Shear Margin
Structural framework and timing of the Pahtohavare Cu ± Au deposits, Kiruna mining district, Sweden
Does the syn- versus post-rift thickness ratio have an impact on the inversion-related structural style?
Inversion of accommodation zones in salt-bearing extensional systems: insights from analog modeling
Structural control of inherited salt structures during inversion of a domino basement-fault system from an analogue modelling approach
Kinematics and time-resolved evolution of the main thrust-sense shear zone in the Eo-Alpine orogenic wedge (the Vinschgau Shear Zone, eastern Alps)
Role of inheritance during tectonic inversion of a rift system in basement-involved to salt-decoupled transition: analogue modelling and application to the Pyrenean–Biscay system
Water release and homogenization by dynamic recrystallization of quartz
Time-dependent frictional properties of granular materials used in analogue modelling: implications for mimicking fault healing during reactivation and inversion
Large grain-size-dependent rheology contrasts of halite at low differential stress: evidence from microstructural study of naturally deformed gneissic Zechstein 2 rock salt (Kristallbrockensalz) from the northern Netherlands
Analogue modelling of the inversion of multiple extensional basins in foreland fold-and-thrust belts
A contribution to the quantification of crustal shortening and kinematics of deformation across the Western Andes ( ∼ 20–22° S)
Rift thermal inheritance in the SW Alps (France): insights from RSCM thermometry and 1D thermal numerical modelling
Analogue modelling of basin inversion: the role of oblique kinematics and implications for the Araripe Basin (Brazil)
The Luangwa Rift Active Fault Database and fault reactivation along the southwestern branch of the East African Rift
Clustering has a meaning: optimization of angular similarity to detect 3D geometric anomalies in geological terrains
Shear zone evolution and the path of earthquake rupture
Mechanical compaction mechanisms in the input sediments of the Sumatra subduction complex – insights from microstructural analysis of cores from IODP Expedition 362
Detecting micro fractures: a comprehensive comparison of conventional and machine-learning-based segmentation methods
Multiscale lineament analysis and permeability heterogeneity of fractured crystalline basement blocks
Structural characterization and K–Ar illite dating of reactivated, complex and heterogeneous fault zones: lessons from the Zuccale Fault, Northern Apennines
How do differences in interpreting seismic images affect estimates of geological slip rates?
Progressive veining during peridotite carbonation: insights from listvenites in Hole BT1B, Samail ophiolite (Oman)
Tectonic evolution of the Indio Hills segment of the San Andreas fault in southern California, southwestern USA
Structural diagenesis in ultra-deep tight sandstones in the Kuqa Depression, Tarim Basin, China
Variscan structures and their control on latest to post-Variscan basin architecture: insights from the westernmost Bohemian Massif and southeastern Germany
Multi-disciplinary characterizations of the BedrettoLab – a new underground geoscience research facility
Biotite supports long-range diffusive transport in dissolution–precipitation creep in halite through small porosity fluctuations
De-risking the energy transition by quantifying the uncertainties in fault stability
Virtual field trip to the Esla Nappe (Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain): delivering traditional geological mapping skills remotely using real data
Marine forearc structure of eastern Java and its role in the 1994 Java tsunami earthquake
Roughness of fracture surfaces in numerical models and laboratory experiments
Impact of basement thrust faults on low-angle normal faults and rift basin evolution: a case study in the Enping sag, Pearl River Basin
Evidence for and significance of the Late Cretaceous Asteroussia event in the Gondwanan Ios basement terranes
Investigating spatial heterogeneity within fracture networks using hierarchical clustering and graph distance metrics
Dating folding beyond folding, from layer-parallel shortening to fold tightening, using mesostructures: lessons from the Apennines, Pyrenees, and Rocky Mountains
Deformation-enhanced diagenesis and bacterial proliferation in the Nankai accretionary prism
Rheological stratification in impure rock salt during long-term creep: morphology, microstructure, and numerical models of multilayer folds in the Ocnele Mari salt mine, Romania
Geodynamic and seismotectonic model of a long-lived transverse structure: The Schio-Vicenza Fault System (NE Italy)
Neogene kinematics of the Giudicarie Belt and eastern Southern Alpine orogenic front (northern Italy)
Fault interpretation uncertainties using seismic data, and the effects on fault seal analysis: a case study from the Horda Platform, with implications for CO2 storage
Reply to Norini and Groppelli's comment on “Estimating the depth and evolution of intrusions at resurgent calderas: Los Humeros (Mexico)” by Urbani et al. (2020)
Emplacement of “exotic” Zechstein slivers along the inverted Sontra Graben (northern Hessen, Germany): clues from balanced cross sections and geometrical forward modeling
Kinematics of subduction in the Ibero-Armorican arc constrained by 3D microstructural analysis of garnet and pseudomorphed lawsonite porphyroblasts from Île de Groix (Variscan belt)
Frictional properties and microstructural evolution of dry and wet calcite–dolomite gouges
Experimental evidence that viscous shear zones generate periodic pore sheets
Influence of inherited structural domains and their particular strain distributions on the Roer Valley graben evolution from inversion to extension
The Piuquencillo fault system: a long-lived, Andean-transverse fault system and its relationship with magmatic and hydrothermal activity
Adam J. Cawood, Hannah Watkins, Clare E. Bond, Marian J. Warren, and Mark A. Cooper
Solid Earth, 14, 1005–1030, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1005-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1005-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Here we test conceptual models of fracture development by investigating fractures across multiple scales. We find that most fractures increase in abundance towards the fold hinge, and we interpret these as being fold related. Other fractures at the site show inconsistent orientations and are unrelated to fold formation. Our results show that predicting fracture patterns requires the consideration of multiple geologic variables.
Johanna Heeb, David Healy, Nicholas E. Timms, and Enrique Gomez-Rivas
Solid Earth, 14, 985–1003, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-985-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-985-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Hydration of rocks is a key process in the Earth’s crust and mantle that is accompanied by changes in physical traits and mechanical behaviour of rocks. This study assesses the influence of stress on hydration reaction kinetics and mechanics in experiments on anhydrite. We show that hydration occurs readily under stress and results in localized hydration along fractures and mechanic weakening. New gypsum growth is selective and depends on the stress field and host anhydrite crystal orientation.
Roy Helge Gabrielsen, Panagiotis Athanasios Giannenas, Dimitrios Sokoutis, Ernst Willingshofer, Muhammad Hassaan, and Jan Inge Faleide
Solid Earth, 14, 961–983, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-961-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-961-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Barents Shear Margin defines the border between the relatively shallow Barents Sea that is situated on a continental plate and the deep ocean. This margin's evolution history was probably influenced by plate tectonic reorganizations. From scaled experiments, we deduced several types of structures (faults, folds, and sedimentary basins) that help us to improve the understanding of the history of the opening of the North Atlantic.
Leslie Logan, Ervin Veress, Joel B. H. Andersson, Olof Martinsson, and Tobias E. Bauer
Solid Earth, 14, 763–784, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-763-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-763-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Pahtohavare Cu ± Au deposits in the Kiruna mining district have a dubious timing of formation and have not been contextualized within an up-to-date tectonic framework. Structural mapping was carried out to reveal that the deposits are hosted in brittle structures that cut a noncylindrical, SE-plunging anticline constrained to have formed during the late-Svecokarelian orogeny. These results show that Cu ± Au mineralization formed more than ca. 80 Myr after iron oxide–apatite mineralization.
Alexandra Tamas, Dan M. Tamas, Gabor Tari, Csaba Krezsek, Alexandru Lapadat, and Zsolt Schleder
Solid Earth, 14, 741–761, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-741-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-741-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Tectonic processes are complex and often difficult to understand due to the limitations of surface or subsurface data. One such process is inversion tectonics, which means that an area initially developed in an extension (such as the opening of an ocean) is reversed to compression (the process leading to mountain building). In this research, we use a laboratory method (analogue modelling), and with the help of a sandbox, we try to better understand structures (folds/faults) related to inversion.
Elizabeth Parker Wilson, Pablo Granado, Pablo Santolaria, Oriol Ferrer, and Josep Anton Muñoz
Solid Earth, 14, 709–739, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-709-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-709-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This work focuses on the control of accommodation zones on extensional and subsequent inversion in salt-detached domains using sandbox analogue models. During extension, the transfer zone acts as a pathway for the movement of salt, changing the expected geometries. When inverted, the salt layer and syn-inversion sedimentation control the deformation style in the salt-detached cover system. Three natural cases are compared to the model results and show similar inversion geometries.
Oriol Ferrer, Eloi Carola, and Ken McClay
Solid Earth, 14, 571–589, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-571-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-571-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using an experimental approach based on scaled sandbox models, this work aims to understand how salt above different rotational fault blocks influences the cover geometry and evolution, first during extension and then during inversion. The results show that inherited salt structures constrain contractional deformation. We show for the first time how welds and fault welds are reopened during contractional deformation, having direct implications for the subsurface exploration of natural resources.
Chiara Montemagni, Stefano Zanchetta, Martina Rocca, Igor M. Villa, Corrado Morelli, Volkmar Mair, and Andrea Zanchi
Solid Earth, 14, 551–570, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-551-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-551-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Vinschgau Shear Zone (VSZ) is one of the largest and most significant shear zones developed within the Late Cretaceous thrust stack in the Austroalpine domain of the eastern Alps. 40Ar / 39Ar geochronology constrains the activity of the VSZ between 97 and 80 Ma. The decreasing vorticity towards the core of the shear zone, coupled with the younging of mylonites, points to a shear thinning behavior. The deepest units of the Eo-Alpine orogenic wedge were exhumed along the VSZ.
Jordi Miró, Oriol Ferrer, Josep Anton Muñoz, and Gianreto Manastchal
Solid Earth, 14, 425–445, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-425-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-425-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using the Asturian–Basque–Cantabrian system and analogue (sandbox) models, this work focuses on the linkage between basement-controlled and salt-decoupled domains and how deformation is accommodated between the two during extension and subsequent inversion. Analogue models show significant structural variability in the transitional domain, with oblique structures that can be strongly modified by syn-contractional sedimentation. Experimental results are consistent with the case study.
Junichi Fukuda, Takamoto Okudaira, and Yukiko Ohtomo
Solid Earth, 14, 409–424, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-409-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We measured water distributions in deformed quartz by infrared spectroscopy mapping and used the results to discuss changes in water distribution resulting from textural development. Because of the grain size reduction process (dynamic recrystallization), water contents decrease from 40–1750 wt ppm in host grains of ~2 mm to 100–510 wt ppm in recrystallized regions composed of fine grains of ~10 µm. Our results indicate that water is released and homogenized by dynamic recrystallization.
Michael Rudolf, Matthias Rosenau, and Onno Oncken
Solid Earth, 14, 311–331, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-311-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-311-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Analogue models of tectonic processes rely on the reproduction of their geometry, kinematics and dynamics. An important property is fault behaviour, which is linked to the frictional characteristics of the fault gouge. This is represented by granular materials, such as quartz sand. In our study we investigate the time-dependent frictional properties of various analogue materials and highlight their impact on the suitability of these materials for analogue models focusing on fault reactivation.
Jessica Barabasch, Joyce Schmatz, Jop Klaver, Alexander Schwedt, and Janos L. Urai
Solid Earth, 14, 271–291, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-271-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-271-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed Zechstein salt with microscopes and observed specific microstructures that indicate much faster deformation in rock salt with fine halite grains when compared to salt with larger grains. This is important because people build large cavities in the subsurface salt for energy storage or want to deposit radioactive waste inside it. When engineers and scientists use grain-size data and equations that include this mechanism, it will help to make better predictions in geological models.
Nicolás Molnar and Susanne Buiter
Solid Earth, 14, 213–235, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-213-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-213-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Progression of orogenic wedges over pre-existing extensional structures is common in nature, but deciphering the spatio-temporal evolution of deformation from the geological record remains challenging. Our laboratory experiments provide insights on how horizontal stresses are transferred across a heterogeneous crust, constrain which pre-shortening conditions can either favour or hinder the reactivatation of extensional structures, and explain what implications they have on critical taper theory.
Tania Habel, Martine Simoes, Robin Lacassin, Daniel Carrizo, and German Aguilar
Solid Earth, 14, 17–42, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-17-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-17-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Central Andes are one of the most emblematic reliefs on Earth, but their western flank remains understudied. Here we explore two rare key sites in the hostile conditions of the Atacama desert to build cross-sections, quantify crustal shortening, and discuss the timing of this deformation at ∼20–22°S. We propose that the structures of the Western Andes accommodated significant crustal shortening here, but only during the earliest stages of mountain building.
Naïm Célini, Frédéric Mouthereau, Abdeltif Lahfid, Claude Gout, and Jean-Paul Callot
Solid Earth, 14, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the peak temperature of sedimentary rocks of the SW Alps (France), using Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous material. This method provides an estimate of the peak temperature achieved by organic-rich rocks. To determine the timing and the tectonic context of the origin of these temperatures we use 1D thermal modelling. We find that the high temperatures up to 300 °C were achieved during precollisional extensional events, not during tectonic burial in the Western Alps.
Pâmela Cristina Richetti, Frank Zwaan, Guido Schreurs, Renata S. Schmitt, and Timothy Chris Schmid
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1251, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1251, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Araripe Basin in NE Brazil was originally formed during Cretaceous times, as South America and Africa broke up. The basin is an important analogue to offshore South Atlantic break-up basins; its sediments were uplifted and are now found at a 1000 m height, allowing for study, but the cause of the uplift remains debated. Here we ran a series of tectonic laboratory experiments that show how a specific plate tectonic configuration can explain the evolution of the Araripe Basin.
Luke N. J. Wedmore, Tess Turner, Juliet Biggs, Jack N. Williams, Henry M. Sichingabula, Christine Kabumbu, and Kawawa Banda
Solid Earth, 13, 1731–1753, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1731-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1731-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Mapping and compiling the attributes of faults capable of hosting earthquakes are important for the next generation of seismic hazard assessment. We document 18 active faults in the Luangwa Rift, Zambia, in an active fault database. These faults are between 9 and 207 km long offset Quaternary sediments, have scarps up to ~30 m high, and are capable of hosting earthquakes from Mw 5.8 to 8.1. We associate the Molaza Fault with surface ruptures from two unattributed M 6+ 20th century earthquakes.
Michał P. Michalak, Lesław Teper, Florian Wellmann, Jerzy Żaba, Krzysztof Gaidzik, Marcin Kostur, Yuriy P. Maystrenko, and Paulina Leonowicz
Solid Earth, 13, 1697–1720, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1697-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1697-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
When characterizing geological/geophysical surfaces, various geometric attributes are calculated, such as dip angle (1D) or dip direction (2D). However, the boundaries between specific values may be subjective and without optimization significance, resulting from using default color palletes. This study proposes minimizing cosine distance among within-cluster observations to detect 3D anomalies. Our results suggest that the method holds promise for identification of megacylinders or megacones.
Erik M. Young, Christie D. Rowe, and James D. Kirkpatrick
Solid Earth, 13, 1607–1629, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1607-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1607-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Studying how earthquakes spread deep within the faults they originate from is crucial to improving our understanding of the earthquake process. We mapped preserved ancient earthquake surfaces that are now exposed in South Africa and studied their relationship with the shape and type of rocks surrounding them. We determined that these surfaces are not random and are instead associated with specific kinds of rocks and that their shape is linked to the evolution of the faults in which they occur.
Sivaji Lahiri, Kitty L. Milliken, Peter Vrolijk, Guillaume Desbois, and Janos L. Urai
Solid Earth, 13, 1513–1539, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1513-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1513-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the mechanism of mechanical compaction is important. Previous studies on mechanical compaction were mostly done by performing experiments. Studies on natural rocks are rare due to compositional heterogeneity of the sedimentary succession with depth. Due to remarkable similarity in composition and grain size, the Sumatra subduction complex provides a unique opportunity to study the micromechanism of mechanical compaction on natural samples.
Dongwon Lee, Nikolaos Karadimitriou, Matthias Ruf, and Holger Steeb
Solid Earth, 13, 1475–1494, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1475-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1475-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This research article focuses on filtering and segmentation methods employed in high-resolution µXRCT studies for crystalline rocks, bearing fractures, or fracture networks, of very small aperture. Specifically, we focus on the identification of artificially induced (via quenching) fractures in Carrara marble samples. Results from the same dataset from all five different methods adopted were produced and compared with each other in terms of their output quality and time efficiency.
Alberto Ceccato, Giulia Tartaglia, Marco Antonellini, and Giulio Viola
Solid Earth, 13, 1431–1453, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1431-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Earth's surface is commonly characterized by the occurrence of fractures, which can be mapped, and their can be geometry quantified on digital representations of the surface at different scales of observation. Here we present a series of analytical and statistical tools, which can aid the quantification of fracture spatial distribution at different scales. In doing so, we can improve our understanding of how fracture geometry and geology affect fluid flow within the fractured Earth crust.
Giulio Viola, Giovanni Musumeci, Francesco Mazzarini, Lorenzo Tavazzani, Manuel Curzi, Espen Torgersen, Roelant van der Lelij, and Luca Aldega
Solid Earth, 13, 1327–1351, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1327-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1327-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A structural-geochronological approach helps to unravel the Zuccale Fault's architecture. By mapping its internal structure and dating some of its fault rocks, we constrained a deformation history lasting 20 Myr starting at ca. 22 Ma. Such long activity is recorded by now tightly juxtaposed brittle structural facies, i.e. different types of fault rocks. Our results also have implications on the regional evolution of the northern Apennines, of which the Zuccale Fault is an important structure.
Wan-Lin Hu
Solid Earth, 13, 1281–1290, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1281-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1281-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Having a seismic image is generally expected to enable us to better determine fault geometry and thus estimate geological slip rates accurately. However, the process of interpreting seismic images may introduce unintended uncertainties, which have not yet been widely discussed. Here, a case of a shear fault-bend fold in the frontal Himalaya is used to demonstrate how differences in interpretations can affect the following estimates of slip rates and dependent conclusions.
Manuel D. Menzel, Janos L. Urai, Estibalitz Ukar, Thierry Decrausaz, and Marguerite Godard
Solid Earth, 13, 1191–1218, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1191-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1191-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Mantle rocks can bind large quantities of carbon by reaction with CO2, but this capacity requires fluid pathways not to be clogged by carbonate. We studied mantle rocks from Oman to understand the mechanisms allowing their transformation into carbonate and quartz. Using advanced imaging techniques, we show that abundant veins were essential fluid pathways driving the reaction. Our results show that tectonic stress was important for fracture opening and a key ingredient for carbon fixation.
Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl, Steffen G. Bergh, and Arthur G. Sylvester
Solid Earth, 13, 1169–1190, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1169-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1169-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The San Andreas fault is a major active fault associated with ongoing earthquake sequences in southern California. The present study investigates the development of the Indio Hills area in the Coachella Valley along the main San Andreas fault and the Indio Hills fault. The Indio Hills area is located near an area with high ongoing earthquake activity (Brawley seismic zone), and, therefore, its recent tectonic evolution has implications for earthquake prediction.
Jin Lai, Dong Li, Yong Ai, Hongkun Liu, Deyang Cai, Kangjun Chen, Yuqiang Xie, and Guiwen Wang
Solid Earth, 13, 975–1002, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-975-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-975-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
(1) Structural diagenesis analysis is performed on the ultra-deep tight sandstone. (2) Fracture and intergranular pores are related to the low in situ stress magnitudes. (3) Dissolution is associated with the presence of fracture.
Hamed Fazlikhani, Wolfgang Bauer, and Harald Stollhofen
Solid Earth, 13, 393–416, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-393-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-393-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Interpretation of newly acquired FRANKEN 2D seismic survey data in southeeastern Germany shows that upper Paleozoic low-grade metasedimentary rocks and possible nappe units are transported by Variscan shear zones to ca. 65 km west of the Franconian Fault System (FFS). We show that the locations of post-Variscan upper Carboniferous–Permian normal faults and associated graben and half-graben basins are controlled by the geometry of underlying Variscan shear zones.
Xiaodong Ma, Marian Hertrich, Florian Amann, Kai Bröker, Nima Gholizadeh Doonechaly, Valentin Gischig, Rebecca Hochreutener, Philipp Kästli, Hannes Krietsch, Michèle Marti, Barbara Nägeli, Morteza Nejati, Anne Obermann, Katrin Plenkers, Antonio P. Rinaldi, Alexis Shakas, Linus Villiger, Quinn Wenning, Alba Zappone, Falko Bethmann, Raymi Castilla, Francisco Seberto, Peter Meier, Thomas Driesner, Simon Loew, Hansruedi Maurer, Martin O. Saar, Stefan Wiemer, and Domenico Giardini
Solid Earth, 13, 301–322, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-301-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-301-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Questions on issues such as anthropogenic earthquakes and deep geothermal energy developments require a better understanding of the fractured rock. Experiments conducted at reduced scales but with higher-resolution observations can shed some light. To this end, the BedrettoLab was recently established in an existing tunnel in Ticino, Switzerland, with preliminary efforts to characterize realistic rock mass behavior at the hectometer scale.
Berit Schwichtenberg, Florian Fusseis, Ian B. Butler, and Edward Andò
Solid Earth, 13, 41–64, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-41-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-41-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Hydraulic rock properties such as porosity and permeability are relevant factors that have an impact on groundwater resources, geological repositories and fossil fuel reservoirs. We investigate the influence of chemical compaction upon the porosity evolution in salt–biotite mixtures and related transport length scales by conducting laboratory experiments in combination with 4-D analysis. Our observations invite a renewed discussion of the effect of sheet silicates on chemical compaction.
David Healy and Stephen Paul Hicks
Solid Earth, 13, 15–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-15-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-15-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The energy transition requires operations in faulted rocks. To manage the technical challenges and public concern over possible induced earthquakes, we need to quantify the risks. We calculate the probability of fault slip based on uncertain inputs, stresses, fluid pressures, and the mechanical properties of rocks in fault zones. Our examples highlight the specific gaps in our knowledge. Citizen science projects could produce useful data and include the public in the discussions about hazards.
Manuel I. de Paz-Álvarez, Thomas G. Blenkinsop, David M. Buchs, George E. Gibbons, and Lesley Cherns
Solid Earth, 13, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We describe a virtual geological mapping course implemented in response to travelling and social restrictions derived from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The course was designed to replicate a physical mapping exercise as closely as possible with the aid of real field data and photographs collected by the authors during previous years in the Cantabrian Zone (NW Spain). The course is delivered through Google Earth via a KMZ file with outcrop descriptions and links to GitHub-hosted photographs.
Yueyang Xia, Jacob Geersen, Dirk Klaeschen, Bo Ma, Dietrich Lange, Michael Riedel, Michael Schnabel, and Heidrun Kopp
Solid Earth, 12, 2467–2477, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2467-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2467-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The 2 June 1994 Java tsunami earthquake ruptured in a seismically quiet subduction zone and generated a larger-than-expected tsunami. Here, we re-process a seismic line across the rupture area. We show that a subducting seamount is located up-dip of the mainshock in a region that did not rupture during the earthquake. Seamount subduction modulates the topography of the marine forearc and acts as a seismic barrier in the 1994 earthquake rupture.
Steffen Abe and Hagen Deckert
Solid Earth, 12, 2407–2424, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2407-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2407-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We use numerical simulations and laboratory experiments on rock samples to investigate how stress conditions influence the geometry and roughness of fracture surfaces. The roughness of the surfaces was analyzed in terms of absolute roughness and scaling properties. The results show that the surfaces are self-affine but with different scaling properties between the numerical models and the real rock samples. Results suggest that stress conditions have little influence on the surface roughness.
Chao Deng, Rixiang Zhu, Jianhui Han, Yu Shu, Yuxiang Wu, Kefeng Hou, and Wei Long
Solid Earth, 12, 2327–2350, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2327-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2327-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses seismic reflection data to interpret the geometric relationship and evolution of intra-basement and rift-related structures in the Enping sag in the northern South China Sea. Our observations suggest the primary control of pre-existing thrust faults is the formation of low-angle normal faults, with possible help from low-friction materials, and the significant role of pre-existing basement thrust faults in fault geometry, paleotopography, and syn-rift stratigraphy of rift basins.
Sonia Yeung, Marnie Forster, Emmanuel Skourtsos, and Gordon Lister
Solid Earth, 12, 2255–2275, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2255-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2255-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We do not know when the ancient Tethys Ocean lithosphere began to founder, but one clue can be found in subduction accreted tectonic slices, including Gondwanan basement terranes on the island of Ios, Cyclades, Greece. We propose a 250–300 km southwards jump of the subduction megathrust with a period of flat-slab subduction followed by slab break-off. The initiation and its subsequent rollback of a new subduction zone would explain the onset of Oligo–Miocene extension and accompanying magmatism.
Rahul Prabhakaran, Giovanni Bertotti, Janos Urai, and David Smeulders
Solid Earth, 12, 2159–2209, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2159-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2159-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Rock fractures are organized as networks with spatially varying arrangements. Due to networks' influence on bulk rock behaviour, it is important to quantify network spatial variation. We utilize an approach where fracture networks are treated as spatial graphs. By combining graph similarity measures with clustering techniques, spatial clusters within large-scale fracture networks are identified and organized hierarchically. The method is validated on a dataset with nearly 300 000 fractures.
Olivier Lacombe, Nicolas E. Beaudoin, Guilhem Hoareau, Aurélie Labeur, Christophe Pecheyran, and Jean-Paul Callot
Solid Earth, 12, 2145–2157, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2145-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2145-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper aims to illustrate how the timing and duration of contractional deformation associated with folding in orogenic forelands can be constrained by the dating of brittle mesostructures observed in folded strata. The study combines new and already published absolute ages of fractures to provide, for the first time, an educated discussion about the factors controlling the duration of the sequence of deformation encompassing layer-parallel shortening, fold growth, and late fold tightening.
Vincent Famin, Hugues Raimbourg, Muriel Andreani, and Anne-Marie Boullier
Solid Earth, 12, 2067–2085, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2067-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2067-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Sediments accumulated in accretionary prisms are deformed by the compression imposed by plate subduction. Here we show that deformation of the sediments transforms some minerals in them. We suggest that these mineral transformations are due to the proliferation of microorganisms boosted by deformation. Deformation-enhanced microbial proliferation may change our view of sedimentary and tectonic processes in subduction zones.
Marta Adamuszek, Dan M. Tămaş, Jessica Barabasch, and Janos L. Urai
Solid Earth, 12, 2041–2065, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2041-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2041-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We analyse folded multilayer sequences in the Ocnele Mari salt mine (Romania) to gain insight into the long-term rheological behaviour of rock salt. Our results indicate the large role of even a small number of impurities in the rock salt for its effective mechanical behaviour. We demonstrate how the development of folds that occur at various scales can be used to constrain the viscosity ratio in the deformed multilayer sequence.
Dario Zampieri, Paola Vannoli, and Pierfrancesco Burrato
Solid Earth, 12, 1967–1986, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1967-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1967-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The long-lived Schio-Vicenza Fault System is a major shear zone cross-cutting the foreland and the thrust belt of the eastern southern Alps. We review 150 years of scientific works and explain its activity and kinematics, characterized by sinistral and dextral transcurrent motion along its southern and northern sections, respectively, by a geodynamic model that has the Adria indenter as the main actor and coherently reconciles the available geological and geophysical evidence collected so far.
Vincent F. Verwater, Eline Le Breton, Mark R. Handy, Vincenzo Picotti, Azam Jozi Najafabadi, and Christian Haberland
Solid Earth, 12, 1309–1334, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1309-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1309-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Balancing along geological cross sections reveals that the Giudicarie Belt comprises two kinematic domains. The SW domain accommodated at least ~ 18 km Late Oligocene to Early Miocene shortening. Since the Middle Miocene, the SW domain experienced at least ~ 12–22 km shortening, whereas the NE domain underwent at least ~ 25–35 km. Together, these domains contributed to ~ 40–47 km of sinistral offset of the Periadriatic Fault along the Northern Giudicarie Fault since the Late Oligocene.
Emma A. H. Michie, Mark J. Mulrooney, and Alvar Braathen
Solid Earth, 12, 1259–1286, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1259-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1259-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Generating an accurate model of the subsurface is crucial when assessing a site for CO2 storage, particularly for a fault-bound storage site that may act as a seal or could reactivate upon CO2 injection. However, we have shown how picking strategy, i.e. line spacing, chosen to create the model significantly influences any subsequent fault analyses but is surprisingly rarely discussed. This analysis has been performed on the Vette Fault bounding the Smeaheia potential CO2 storage site.
Stefano Urbani, Guido Giordano, Federico Lucci, Federico Rossetti, and Gerardo Carrasco-Núñez
Solid Earth, 12, 1111–1124, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1111-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1111-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Structural studies in active calderas have a key role in the exploration of geothermal systems. We reply in detail to the points raised by the comment of Norini and Groppelli (2020), strengthening the relevance of our structural fieldwork for geothermal exploration and exploitation in active caldera geothermal systems including the Los Humeros caldera.
Jakob Bolz and Jonas Kley
Solid Earth, 12, 1005–1024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1005-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1005-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
To assess the role smaller graben structures near the southern edge of the Central European Basin System play in the basin’s overall deformational history, we take advantage of a feature found on some of these structures, where slivers from older rock units appear along the graben's main fault, surrounded on both sides by younger strata. The implications for the geometry of the fault provide a substantially improved estimate for the magnitude of normal and thrust motion along the fault system.
Domingo G. A. M. Aerden, Alejandro Ruiz-Fuentes, Mohammad Sayab, and Aidan Forde
Solid Earth, 12, 971–992, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-971-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-971-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We studied the geometry of foliations and microfolds preserved within metamorphic garnet crystals using X-ray tomography. The studied rocks are blueschists from Ile de Groix formed during Late Devonian subduction of Gondwana under Armorica. Several sets of differently oriented microfabrics were found recording variations in the direction of subduction. Comparison with similar data for Iberia supports that Iberia rotated only 10–20° during the Cretaceous opening of the North Atlantic.
Matteo Demurtas, Steven A.F. Smith, Elena Spagnuolo, and Giulio Di Toro
Solid Earth, 12, 595–612, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-595-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-595-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We performed shear experiments on calcite–dolomite gouge mixtures to better understand the behaviour of carbonates during sub-seismic to seismic deformation in the shallow crust. The development of a foliation in the gouge was only restricted to coseismic sliding, whereas fluidisation occurred over a wide range of slip velocities (sub-seismic to coseismic) in the presence of water. These observations will contribute to a better interpretation of the rock record.
James Gilgannon, Marius Waldvogel, Thomas Poulet, Florian Fusseis, Alfons Berger, Auke Barnhoorn, and Marco Herwegh
Solid Earth, 12, 405–420, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-405-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-405-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Using experiments that simulate deep tectonic interfaces, known as viscous shear zones, we found that these zones spontaneously develop periodic sheets of small pores. The presence of porous layers in deep rocks undergoing tectonic deformation is significant because it requires a change to the current model of how the Earth deforms. Emergent porous layers in viscous rocks will focus mineralising fluids and could lead to the seismic failure of rocks that are never supposed to have this occur.
Jef Deckers, Bernd Rombaut, Koen Van Noten, and Kris Vanneste
Solid Earth, 12, 345–361, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-345-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-345-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows the presence of two structural domains in the western border fault system of the Roer Valley graben. These domains, dominated by NW–SE-striking faults, displayed distinctly different strain distributions during both Late Cretaceous compression and Cenozoic extension. The southern domain is characterized by narrow, localized faulting, while the northern domain is characterized by wide, distributed faulting. The non-colinear WNW–ESE Grote Brogel fault links both domains.
José Piquer, Orlando Rivera, Gonzalo Yáñez, and Nicolás Oyarzún
Solid Earth, 12, 253–273, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-253-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-253-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A proper recognition of deep, long-lived fault systems is very important for society. They can produce potentially dangerous earthquakes. They can also act as pathways for magmas and hydrothermal fluids, leading to the formation of volcanoes, geothermal systems and mineral deposits. However, the manifestations of these very old faults in the present-day surface can be very subtle. Here, we present a detailed, multi-disciplinary study of a fault system of this type in the Andes of central Chile.
Cited articles
Agar, S. M. and Geiger, S.: Fundamental controls on fluid flow in
carbonates: current workflows to emerging technologies, Geological Society,
London, Special Publications, 406, 60, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP406.18, 2015.
Angelim, L. A. A., Medeiros, V. C., and Nesi, J. R.: Mapa geológico do
Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, CPRM/FAPERN, Recife, Projeto Geologia e
Recursos Minerais do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, 2006.
Bemis, S. P., Micklethwaite, S., Turner, D., James, M. R., Akciz, S.,
Thiele, S. T., and Bangash, H. A.: Ground-based and UAV-Based
photogrammetry: A multi-scale, high-resolution mapping tool for structural
geology and paleoseismology, J. Struct. Geol., 69, 163–178,
2014.
Berkowitz, B.: Characterizing flow and transport in fractured geological
media: A review, Adv. Water Resour., 25, 861–884, 2002.
Bertotti, G., de Graaf, S., Bisdom, K., Oskam, B., Vonhof, H. B., Bezerra,
F. H. R., Reijmer, J. J. G., and Cazarin, C. L.: Fracturing and fluid-flow
during post-rift subsidence in carbonates of the Jandaira Formation, Potiguar
Basin, NE Brazil, Basin Res., 29, 18, https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12246, 2017.
Bisdom, K.: Burial-related fracturing in sub-horizontal and folded
reservoirs – Geometry, geomechanics and impact on permeability, Doctorate,
Technische Universiteit Delft, 2016.
Bisdom, K., Gauthier, B. D. M., Bertotti, G., and Hardebol, N. J.:
Calibrating discrete fracture-network models with a carbonate
three-dimensional outcrop fracture network: Implications for naturally
fractured reservoir modeling, AAPG Bull., 98, 1351–1376, 2014.
Bisdom, K., Nick, H. M., and Bertotti, G.: An integrated workflow for stress
and flow modelling using outcrop-derived discrete fracture networks,
Comput. Geosci., 103, 21–35, 2017a.
Bisdom, K., Bertotti, G., Bezerra, H., Van Eijk, M., Van der Voet, E., and Reijmer,
J.:
Deterministic fracture network models from the Potiguar basin, Brazil,
https://doi.org/10.4121/uuid:988152da-3ac3-44cb-9d87-c7365e3707b6,
2017b.
Bruna, P.-O., Guglielmi, Y., Viseur, S., Lamarche, J., and Bildstein, O.:
Coupling fracture facies with in-situ permeability measurements to generate
stochastic simulations of tight carbonate aquifer properties: Example from
the Lower Cretaceous aquifer, Northern Provence, SE France, J.
Hydrol., 529, 737–753, 2015.
Bruna, P.-O., Hardebol, N., Bisdom, K., Straubhaar, J., Mariethoz, G., and
Bertotti, G.: 2-D to 3-D fracture network detection and forecasting in a
carbonate reservoir analogue using Multiple Point Statistics (MPS), ExCEL
London, 2017.
Bruna, P.-O., Prabhakaran, R., Bertotti, G., Mittempergher, S., Succo, A.,
Bistacchi, A., Storti, F., and Meda, M.: Multiscale 3-D prediction of
fracture network geometry and fluid flow efficiency in folded carbonate
reservoir analogues; Case study of the Island of Pag (Croatia), Muscat,
Oman, 5–7 February 2018.
Chopra, S. and Marfurt, K. J.: Volumetric curvature attributes for
fault/fracture characterization, First Break, 25, 35–46, 2007.
Chugunova, T., Corpel, V., and Gomez, J.-P.: Explicit fracture network
modelling: from multiple point statistics to dynamic simulation,
Math. Geosci., 49, 541–553, 2017.
Chugunova, T. L. and Hu, L. Y.: Multiple-Point Simulations Constrained by
Continuous Auxiliary Data, Math. Geosci., 40, 133–146, 2008.
Claes, H., Degros, M., Soete, J., Claes, S., Kele, S., Mindszenty, A.,
Török, Á., El Desouky, H., Vanhaecke, F., and Swennen, R.:
Geobody architecture, genesis and petrophysical characteristics of the
Budakalász travertines, Buda Hills (Hungary), Quatern. Int.,
437, 107–128, 2017.
Corradetti, A., Tavani, S., Parente, M., Iannace, A., Vinci, F., Pirmez, C.,
Torrieri, S., Giorgioni, M., Pignalosa, A., and Mazzoli, S.: Distribution
and arrest of vertical through-going joints in a seismic-scale carbonate
platform exposure (Sorrento peninsula, Italy): insights from integrating
field survey and digital outcrop model, J. Struct. Geol., 121–136, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2017.09.009, 2017a.
Corradetti, A., Tavani, S., Russo, M., Arbues, P. C., and Granado, P.:
Quantitative analysisi of folds by means of orthorectified photogrammetric
3-D models: A case study from Mt. Catria, Northern Apennines, Italy,
Photogramm. Rec., 32, 480–496, https://doi.org/10.1111/phor.12212, 2017b.
Costa de Melo, A. C., de Castro, D. L., Bezerra, F. H. R., and Bertotti, G.:
Rift fault geometry and evolution in the Cretaceous Potiguar Basin (NE
Brazil) based on fault growth models, J. South Am. Earth
Sci., 71, 96–107, 2016.
de Brito Neves, B. B., Fuck, R. A., Cordani, U. G., and Thomaz F. A.: Influence of basement structures on the evolution of the major
sedimentary basins of Brazil: A case of tectonic heritage, J.
Geodynam., 1, 495–510, 1984.
Dershowitz, W. S. and Herda, H.: Interpretation of Fracture Spacing and
Intensity, Balkema, ISBN 9054100451,
757–766, 1992.
Deutsch, C. V. and Journel, A. G.: GSLIB: Geostatistical software library
and user's guide, New York, 1997.
Gringarten, E. and Deutsch, C. V.: Methodology for Variogram Interpretation
and Modeling for Improved Reservoir Characterization, SPE Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition, Texas, Houston, 3–6 Ocober 1999.
Gringarten, E. and Deutsch, C. V.: Teacher's Aide Variogram Interpretation
and modeling, Math. Geol., 33, 507–534, 2001.
Hanke, J. R., Fischer, M. P., and Pollyea, R. M.: Directional semivariogram
analysis to identify and rank controls on the spatial variability of
fracture networks, J. Struct. Geol., 108, 34–51, 2018.
Hooker, J. N. and Katz, R. F.: Vein spacing in extending, layered rock: The
effect of synkinematic cementation, Am. J. Sci., 315, 557–588,
https://doi.org/10.2475/06.2015.03,
2015.
Hooker, J. N., Laubach, S. E., and Marrett, R.: Fracture-aperture
size–frequency, spatial distribution, and growth processes in
strata-bounded and non-strata-bounded fractures, Cambrian Mesón Group,
NW Argentina, J. Struct. Geol., 54, 54–71, 2013.
Huang, N., Jiang, Y., Liu, R., and Li, B.: Estimation of permeability of 3-D
discrete fracture networks: An alternative possibility based on trace map
analysis, Eng. Geol., 226, 12–19, 2017.
Journel, A. and Zhang, T.: The Necessity of a Multiple-Point Prior Model,
Math. Geol., 38, 591–610, 2006.
Journel, A. G.: Beyond Covariance: The Advent of Multiple-Point
Geostatistics, in: Geostatistics Banff 2004, edited by: Leuangthong, O. and Deutsch, C.
V., Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, 2005.
Jung, A., Fenwick, D. H., and Caers, J.: Training image-based scenario
modeling of fractured reservoirs for flow uncertainty quantification,
Computat. Geosci., 17, 1015–1031, 2013.
Karimpouli, S., Tahmasebi, P., Ramandi, H. L., Mostaghimi, P., and
Saadatfar, M.: Stochastic modeling of coal fracture network by direct use of
micro-computed tomography images, Int. J. Coal Geol.,
179, 153–163, 2017.
Kovesi, P.: MATLAB and Octave Functions for Computer Vision and Image
Processing, available at: https://www.peterkovesi.com/matlabfns/
(last access: 16 April 2019), 2000.
Lamarche, J., Lavenu, A. P. C., Gauthier, B. D. M., Guglielmi, Y., and
Jayet, O.: Relationships between fracture patterns, geodynamics and
mechanical stratigraphy in Carbonates (South-East Basin, France),
Tectonophysics, 581, 231–245, 2012.
Lamarche, J., Chabani, A., and Gauthier, B. D. M.: Dimensional threshold for
fracture linkage and hooking, J. Struct. Geol., 108, 171–179, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2017.11.016, 2017.
Laubach, S. E., Olson, J. E., and Gross, M. R.: Mechanical and fracture
stratigraphy, AAPG Bull., 93, 1413–1426, 2009.
Laubach, S. E., Lamarche, J., Gauthier, B. D. M., Dunne, W. M., and
Sanderson, D. J.: Spatial arrangement of faults and opening-mode fractures,
J. Struct. Geol., 108, 2–15, 2018.
Lavenu, A. P. C., Lamarche, J., Gallois, A., and Gauthier, B. D. M.:
Tectonic versus diagenetic origin of fractures in a naturally fractured
carbonate reservoir analog (Nerthe anticline, southeastern France), AAPG
Bull., 97, 2207–2232, 2013.
Li, J. Z., Laubach, S. E., Gale, J. F. W., and Marrett, R. A.: Quantifying
opening-mode fracture spatial organization in horizontal wellbore image
logs, core and outcrop: Application to Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation
tight gas sandstones, USA, J. Struct. Geol., 108, 137–156,
2018.
Liu, X., Srinivasan, S., and Wong, D.: Geological characterization of
naturally fractured reservoirs using multiple point geostatistics,
https://doi.org/10.2118/75246-MS,
SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, 13–17 April, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 2002.
Liu, X., Zhang, C., Liu, Q., and Birkholzer, J.: Multiple-point statistical
prediction on fracture networks at Yucca Mountain, Environ. Geol.,
57, 1361–1370, 2009.
Lloyd, S. P.: Least Squares Quantization in PCM, IEEE T. Inform. Theory, 28, 129–137, 1982.
Long, J. C. S. and Witherspoon, P. A.: The relationship of the degree of
interconnection to permeability in fracture networks, J. Geophys.
Res., 90, 12, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB090iB04p03087, 1985.
Magistroni, C., Meda, M., and Corrao, A.: Faults and fracture network
prediction: stress/strain modelling from outcrop analysis to seismic
characterisation, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 10–13 November 2014.
Mariethoz, G.: Geological stochastic imaging for aquifer characterization,
Doctorate, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Neuchâtel, 229
pp., 2009.
Mariethoz, G., Renard, P., and Straubhaar, J.: The Direct Sampling method to
perform multiplepoint geostatistical simulations, Water Resour. Res.,
46, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR007621, 2010.
Marrett, R., Gale, J. F. W., Gómez, L. A., and Laubach, S. E.:
Correlation analysis of fracture arrangement in space, J. Struct.
Geol., 108, 16–33, 2018.
Mauldon, M., Dunne, W. M., and Rohrbaugh, M. B. J.: Circular scanlines and
circular windows: new tools for characterizing the geometry of fracture
traces, J. Struct. Geol., 23, 12, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8141(00)00094-8, 2001.
Meerschman, E., Pirot, G., Mariethoz, G., Straubhaar, J., Van Meirvenne, M.,
and Renard, P.: A practical guide to performing multiple-point statistical
simulations with the Direct Sampling algorithm, Comput. Geosci.,
52, 307–324, 2013.
Montanari, D., Minissale, A., Doveri, M., Gola, G., Trumpy, E., Santilano,
A., and Manzella, A.: Geothermal resources within carbonate reservoirs in
western Sicily (Italy): A review, Earth-Sci. Rev., 169, 180–201, 2017.
National Research Council: Rock Fractures and Fluid Flow: Contemporary Understanding
and Applications, The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 1996.
Olson, J. E., Laubach, S. E., and Lander, R. H.: Natural fracture
characterization in tight gas sandstones: Integrating mechanics and
diagenesis, AAPG Bull., 93, 1535–1549, 2009.
Oriani, F., Ohana-Levi, N., Marra, F., Straubhaar, J., Mariethoz, G.,
Renard, P., Karnieli, A., and Morin, E.: Simulating Small-Scale Rainfall
Fields Conditioned by Weather State and Elevation: A Data-Driven Approach
Based on Rainfall Radar Images, Water Resour. Res., 53, 8512–8532,
2017.
Otsu, N.: A Threshold Selection Method from Gray-Level Histograms, IEEE
T. Syst. Man Cyb., 9, 62–66, 1979.
Panza, E., Sessa, E., Agosta, F., and Giorgioni, M.: Discrete Fracture
Network modelling of a hydrocarbon-bearing, oblique-slip fault zone:
Inferences on fault-controlled fluid storage and migration properties of
carbonate fault damage zones, Mar. Petrol. Geol., 89,
263–279, 2018.
Reis, Á. F. C., Bezerra, F. H. R., Ferreira, J. M., do Nascimento, A.
F., and Lima, C. C.: Stress magnitude and orientation in the Potiguar Basin,
Brazil: Implications on faulting style and reactivation, J.
Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 118, 5550–5563, 2013.
Rzonca, B.: Carbonate aquifers with hydraulically non-active matrix: A case
study from Poland, J. Hydrol., 355, 202–213, 2008.
Solano, N., Zambrano, L., and Aguilera, R.: Cumulative Gas Production
Distribution on the Nikanassin Tight Gas Formation, Alberta and British
Columbia, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago Energy Resources Conference, Port of
Spain, Trinidad, Paper SPE-132923-MS, Conference, 27–30 June, Port of Spain Trinidad, 2010.
Somasundaram, S., Mund, B., Soni, R., and Sharda, R.: Seismic attribute
analysis for fracture detection and porosity prediction: A case study from
tight volcanic reservoirs, Barmer Basin, India, The Leading Edge, 36, 874–960,
https://doi.org/10.1190/tle36110947b1.1,
2017.
Straubhaar, J.: Deesse user's guide, The Centre for Hydrogeology and
Geothermics (CHYN), edited by: University of Neuchatel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, 2017.
Straubhaar, J., Renard, P., Mariethoz, G., Froidevaux, R., and Besson, O.:
An improved parallel multiple-point algorithm using a list approac,
Math. Geosci., 43, 305–328, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11004-011-9328-7,
2011.
Strebelle, S.: Conditional Simulation of Complex Geological Structures Using
Multiple-Point Statistics, Math. Geol., 34, 1–21, 2002.
Tavani, S., Corradetti, A., and Billi, A.: High precision analysis of an
embryonic extensional fault-related fold using 3-D orthorectified virtual
outcrops: The viewpoint importance in structural geology, J.
Struct. Geol., 86, 200–210, 2016.
Vollgger, S. A. and Cruden, A. R.: Mapping folds and fractures in basement
and cover rocks using UAV photogrammetry, Cape Liptrap and Cape Paterson,
Victoria, Australia, J. Struct. Geol., 85, 168–187, 2016.
Wang, S., Huang, Z., Wu, Y.-S., Winterfeld, P. H., and Zerpa, L. E.: A
semi-analytical correlation of thermal-hydraulic-mechanical behavior of
fractures and its application to modeling reservoir scale cold water
injection problems in enhanced geothermal reservoirs, Geothermics, 64,
81–95, 2016.
Wu, J., Boucher, A., and Zhang, T.: A SGeMS code for pattern simulation of
continuous and categorical variables: FILTERSIM, Comput. Geosci.,
34, 1863–1876, 2008.
Zhang, L., Kang, Q., Chen, L., and Yao, J.: Simulation of flow in multi-scale
porous media using the lattice boltzmann method on quadtree grids,
Commun. Comput.Phys., 19, 998–1014, 2016.
Short summary
Natural fractures influence fluid flow in subsurface reservoirs. Our research presents a new methodology to predict the arrangement of these fractures in rocks. Contrary to the commonly used statistical models, our approach integrates more geology into the simulation process. The method is simply based on the drawing of images, can be applied to any type of rocks in various geological contexts, and is suited for fracture network prediction in water, geothermal, or hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Natural fractures influence fluid flow in subsurface reservoirs. Our research presents a new...
