The presence of fluids and their migration in the upper crust play an important role in many processes as deformation and faulting, seismic activity, metamorphic reactions, convective or advective heat flow. Understanding the fluid flow in the upper crust is also of great economic significance as shown by the development of hydrothermal ore deposits and by oil and gas migration within hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Fluid circulation within the upper crust is strongly dependent on the transport properties of rocks (i.e. permeability), which vary according to a wide range of pressure and temperature conditions, and is primarily influenced by the presence of faults and fractures across a range of scales. Both field and laboratory studies have shown that the structural permeability of fault zones is intrinsically dynamic: deformation processes enhance crustal permeability by continuously creating faults/fractures and disrupting rock textures and fabrics, and also compete with sealing and healing processes driven by hydrothermal fluid circulation.
We welcome multidisciplinary, innovative contributions addressing the role of faults and associated fracture patterns in controlling fluid flow in the brittle crust, through the integration of field, laboratory and seismic data. We also welcome discipline-specific studies on those topics.