Catastrophic failure is the end result of a progression of damage towards brittle failure on a variety of system scales in the Earth. However, the factors controlling this evolution, and the relationship between deformation and the resulting earthquake hazard, are not well constrained.  In particular, induced seismicity is a growing cause of concern in the engineering required for the net-zero carbon transition, including subsurface storage of carbon and geothermal energy production, and mining for critical metals. Here we address the question of how to optimize operational controls to minimize induced micro-seismicity in a ‘scale-model’ laboratory experiment where we can simultaneously image the underlying damage using acoustic emissions (sound) and x-rays (vision). We confirm that using continuous servo-control to maintain a constant acoustic emission event rate slows down deformation compared to standard constant strain rate loading, and demonstrate that it also suppresses micro-seismic events of all sizes, including extreme events, and reduces the proportion of seismic to total strain. We develop a new model to explain these observations, based on the observed evolution of microstructural damage and the fracture mechanics of subcritical crack growth.  The model is validated with high precision (r~99%) by comparison with the independently-observed stress history and acoustic emission statistics.

Qualitative inspection of comparable grey-scale x-ray volumes between the two experiments (peak stress and post-failure after unloading) showed that at peak stress microcrack damage accumulated initially, in both samples and in the same area of each sample, as localised pore collapse, pore-emanating and Hertzian tensile intra- and trans-granular cracks and pore-emanating shear and tensile inter-granular cracks. These features were mostly similar in length and aperture, although the sample loaded only under constant strain rate showed a few longer and more open cracks. Strain localisation was apparent at the same stage in both samples, but there was some evidence of earlier en-echelon microcrack localisation in the sample loaded under a constant strain rate. Post-failure, microcracks were longer and more open in the sample loaded under a constant strain rate than in the sample loaded under a constant AE event rate. The visible proportion of damaged rock was greater, with a broader shear zone around two to three grains wide (compared with <1-2 grains) and a greater degree of cataclasis throughout. Off-fault microcracking was limited, but there were some trans- and inter-granular microcracks that extended up to four to five grains long in both samples. These were more common in the sample loaded under constant strain rate and tended to be more open. Finally, branching of the fault zone appeared to be more pronounced in the sample loaded under a constant strain rate.

Our results explain the effectiveness of seismic event rate control on seismic hazard mitigation in mining settings, and imply that it may be more effective in managing the risk from induced seismicity in a pre-emptive way than the commonly-applied ‘traffic light’ system, which is based on reacting after the fact to extreme events.

How to cite: Main, I., Mangriotis, M.-D., Cartwright-Taylor, A., Curtis, A., Butler, I., Bell, A., and Fusseis, F.: Progressive rock failure under different loading conditions – sound and vision, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-5553, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-5553, 2024.

Subcritical crack growth accelerates weathering of rocks and minerals, reduces the strength of rock slope, and affects the stability of subsurface faults. Under special circumstances, the produced cracks can also heal spontaneously (Self healing) regaining a part of the original tensile strength.  These crack behaviors are a manifestation of molecular-scale surface forces acting between the surfaces near the crack tip. As a part of the effort to understand how these forces control the subcritical crack growth and healing of geological materials, we examine the tensile crack behavior of calcite single crystals. A miniature Double-Torsion (DT) test system was developed for testing small plate samples (40 mm x 20 mm x 1.5 mm) cut out of optical-quality calcite single crystals (Iceland Spar crystals). These samples are oriented in such a way that the induced crack is along the (1014) plane (the primary cleavage plane). The main output of the experiment is the crack velocity (vc) vs the magnitude of applied driving force (stress intensity factor K or strain energy release rate G), which is a typical way to summarize the rate-dependent crack behavior. From the experiment, we have learned that (1) calcite exhibits strong healing behavior compared to materials such as glass or (amorphous) quartz in humid air and water, (2) healing is time dependent (the strength of a healed crack increases over time), (3) liquid water (rather than vapor) introduces strong hysteresis in the recracking vs healing behavior.   The obtained laboratory data are used to develop a mechanistic model for predicting macroscale crack behavior in rock, particularly in a water and electrolyte-rich environment.

How to cite: Nakagawa, S., Zhang, Y., Dadras, H., Hao, Z., Voigtländer, A., and Gilbert, B.: Laboratory measurement of subcritical crack growth and healing in calcite using Double-Torsion tests, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-13669, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-13669, 2024.

Rocks exhibit a brittle failure mode, leading to system-size failure through cataclastic faulting processes involving microfracture coalescence and frictional sliding, resulting in localized deformation. In contrast, the ductile failure mode can be described as a distributed deformation at the macroscopic scale, although there may be significant grain-scale heterogeneities. The transition between these two modes is an important research area because it is assumed to occur at the base of the seismogenic zone where large earthquakes may nucleate. Understanding strain evolution and partitioning between brittle and ductile failure modes may shed light on the preparation process for large earthquakes. To investigate the transition from brittle to ductile deformation, we performed two series of experiments on Carrara marble core samples: conventional triaxial experiments with acoustic emission recording at GFZ Potsdam, and dynamic in situ 4D X-ray imaging experiments on beamline BM18 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.  Carrara marble is used as a rock model because this transition can be achieved at room temperature. We performed the experiments at room temperature and confining pressures between 5 and 100 MPa. For the synchrotron experiments, we segmented the images and implemented digital volume correlation (DVC) analyses between tomogram acquisitions to quantify the evolution of volumetric and shear strain components during the transition from the brittle to ductile regime. The results show that the transition is controlled by the dynamics of microfractures, even in the ductile regime. Below 40 MPa of confining pressure, deformation localizes along faults, particularly at 5 and 10 MPa. At 40 MPa, tomograms reveal the formation of a localized shear zone and macroscopically distributed deformation, resembling a semi-brittle regime. The DVC reveals the spatial extent of the strain directed into faults. A limited number of acoustic emissions recorded at this confining pressure revealed the prevalence of aseismic activity during deformation. Above 40 MPa, deformation shifts to a non-localized pattern at the core sample scale, involving the opening of microfractures, possibly due to the cataclastic flow mechanism accommodating this regime.

How to cite: Prastyani, E., Cordonnier, B., McBeck, J., Wang, L., Rybacki, E., Dresen, G., and Renard, F.: Revealing the transition from brittle to ductile failure mode in Carrara marble through in-situ 4D X-ray imaging and acoustic emissions experiments, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-8848, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-8848, 2024.

In rocks and other consolidated geomaterials, static or dynamic excitation leads to a fast softening of the material, followed by a slower healing process in which the material recovers all or part of its initial stiffness as a logarithmic function of time. This requires us to exit the framework of time-independent elastic properties, linear or not, and investigate non-classical, non-linear elastic behavior and its time dependency. Softening and healing phenomena can be observed during seismic events in affected infrastructure as well as in the subsurface. Since the transient material changes are not restricted to elastic parameters but also affect hydraulic and electric parameters as well as material strength – documented for instance by long lasting changes in landslide rates – it is of major interest to characterize the softening and recovery phases.

To characterize this behavior in a controlled environment, we perform experiments on Bentheim sandstone in a Materials Testing System triaxial cell with pore pressure and confining pressure control. Our sample is subjected to various static loading cycles in both dry and water-saturated conditions, while an active acoustic measurement setup allows us to monitor minute P-wave velocity changes, which can then be directly tied to dynamic elastic modulus changes.

Our transducer array allows us to observe the dynamic softening as well as the recovery processes in the sample during repeated loading phases of various time lengths. Observations indicate high spatial, frequency and lapse-time sensitivity of the observed velocity changes, indicating a rich landscape of concurrent effects and physical phenomena affecting our sample during these simple experiments.

To investigate the spatial and directional dependency of the velocity changes, we restrict the analysis to direct and reflected ballistic waves. Our observations indicate that, while stress-induced classical effects are clearly anisotropic as expected, the non-classical effects do not exhibit significant anisotropy. This allows us to rule out a number of physical phenomena as the cause for the non-classical effects. Most importantly, we conclude that the microscopic structures responsible for the reversible softening and healing processes are different from the cracks that induce the anisotropic acousto-elastic effect.

How to cite: Asnar, M., Sens-Schönfelder, C., Bonnelye, A., Dresen, G., and Bohnhoff, M.: Non-linear softening and relaxation in rocks and geomaterials: a laboratory perspective, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-10753, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-10753, 2024.

Frost damage in porous materials is a weathering mechanism that can cause dangerous rockfalls or damage to built cultural heritage. The volume expansion of 9% when water freezes can be one of the cause of frost damage. This does not, however, explain why partially saturated porous stones also show damage despite the fact that ice should have room to grow. By performing experiments both at the scale of a single pore and in a real stone, we investigate the mechanism of frost damage at low water saturations at the pore scale and how it relates to macroscopic damage. We observe that the meniscus at an air-water interface confines the water in the pores. Because of this confinement, ice that forms will exert a pressure on the pore walls rather than growing into the pore. The amplitude of stress is found to be larger in small pores and when the meniscus has a larger contact angle with the walls. The contact angle is also observed to increase in the case of multiple freeze-thaw cycles, which increases the likelihood of damage. We find that cracks start first in the ice (being weaker than the confining material), followed by damage in the material itself. Remarkably, when multiple air-water interfaces are induced within limestone samples through a hydrophobic surface treatment, the stones are much more susceptible to frost damage than are uncoated stones, with cracks appearing preferentially at the hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface. This shows that indeed the meniscus confining the water during freezing and consequently the wetting properties are the relevant factors for frost damage in partially saturated porous stones

Reference: R. Le Dizès Castell, R. Sinaasappel, C. Fontaine, S. H. Smith, P. Kolpakov, D. Bonn, and N. Shahidzadeh, “Frost Damage in Unsaturated
Porous Media,” Physical Review Applied, vol. 20, p. 034025, Sept. 2023.

How to cite: Le Dizes Castell, R., Sinaasappel, R., Fontaine, C., Smith, S., Kolpakov, P., Bonn, D., and Shahidzadeh, N.: Frost damage in unsaturated porous media, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-11304, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-11304, 2024.

Rock physics theory and experimental data suggest that fracture growth in rock proceeds not only as a function of synchronous stress and environmental conditions but also as a function of past fracture growth in response to those conditions. ‘Stress memory’ or ‘fatigue-limit’ fracture mechanics phenomena such as the Kaiser effect epitomize this idea. Many questions exist, however, as to if and how these phenomena impact the growth of fractures under natural environmental conditions. For example, to what extent does the orientation of past experienced stresses manifest in a rock’s response to stresses of the same magnitude?

Here we test for a memory of intergranular thermal stresses in two natural granite boulders of the same lithology for which we have 1 and 3 years of known temperature history, respectively. We hypothesize that cores extracted from the exterior portions of the boulders – that have necessarily experienced more and larger temperature fluctuations – will have more ‘memory’ of peak temperatures than those cores extracted from the boulder centers. In turn, we hypothesize that outer cores will crack less in response to temperature cycling than inner cores. For the first boulder, we measured P-wave velocities and connected porosities before and after 4 different oven heat treatments – heating up to 40, 45, 50 and 65 °C at a rate of at 20 °C/hr and cooling at an ambient rate over several cycles each. For two transects of cores extracted from the natural upward facing surface down, and the natural west-facing surface inward, we found that porosities increased after each subsequent heat treatment, but by larger amounts with distance away from the outer rock surface, as hypothesized. P-wave velocities, however, both increased and decreased with different heating cycles and positions. Therefore, for the second boulder, we extracted a top-down transect of 5 cores and, using a special-made rig, found that the samples exhibit significant P-wave velocity directional anisotropy. We subjected these cores to the same heat treatments as those of the first boulder, but this time orienting the samples identically in the oven with respect to their original positions in the boulder. Preliminary data show similar results as the first boulder, with the outermost core cracking the least (as interpreted from porosity changes) relative to the inner cores. Ongoing work will examine changes in P-wave velocity in different directions relative to measured anisotropy as a function of heat treatment cycles. This work has important implications for understanding if and how, with ongoing global warming, Earth’s rocks will respond to ‘new’ temperatures. 

How to cite: Eppes, M.-C., David, C., Heap, M., Baud, P., Bonami, T., Dahlquist, M., Keanini, R., Lacroix, C., Rasmussen, M., Rinehart, A., El Alaoui, Y., and Windenberger, A.: Temperature “Memory” and Natural Rock Fracture at Earth’s Surface, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-9825, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-9825, 2024.

Macroscopic equilibrium statistical mechanics is first used to interpret and predict thermally driven microfracture in rock. Application of the theoretical framework to three heating and cooling experiments, performed on granite and reported between 1989 and 2017, provides strong evidence that the temperature-, pressure- and volume-dependent average microfracture population within a given rock volume can be treated as an equilibrium thermodynamic variable.  This observation, in turn, suggests that thermoelastic microfracture, in rock and similar granular solids, can be predicted and interpreted using standard, process- and history-independent equilibrium thermodynamics.  In order to place equilibrium rock fracture and healing in context, we then consider nonreversible, permanent, i.e., nonequilibrium fracture. Here, pictorial, physical, and quantitative analyses of several common, thermally driven rock fracture processes are presented, including: a) terrestrial thermal exfoliation of single grains from diurnally heated rock surfaces, b) non-terrestrial thermal exfoliation of thin, near surface rock layers, as recently observed, e.g., on Bennu, c) terrestrial and non-terrestrial thermally-driven through cracking, and d) initiation of c).  We show how the form of the continuum momentum and energy conservation equations for thermoelastic materials – here, rock- provides a powerful, intuitive framework for quickly visualizing and roughly predicting the fracture/weathering processes in a) through d).

How to cite: Keanini, R. and the US, Israel, UK, Japan, France Rock Fracture Collaboration: Equilibrium (reversible) and nonequilibrium (permanent) fracture in rock: equilibrium statistical mechanics theory and experiments, and physical/intuitive analysis of common nonequilibrium fracture modes, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-7023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-7023, 2024.

The formation of granitic domes via exfoliation jointing produces some of the most celebrated and hazardous landforms on Earth. In 1904, G.K. Gilbert outlined three mechanisms to explain exfoliation jointing as: (1) related to the original cooling of the rock body, (2) related to decompression of the rock body as it is exhumed to the surface of the Earth, or (3) related to processes at Earth’s surface - a hypothesis recently supported by observations of thermal cycling in crack initiation and propagation. Despite more than a century of study, our understanding of the mechanisms driving exfoliation jointing remains incomplete. This research seeks to address the question: is the formation of exfoliation joints more sensitive to surface processes (e.g., biotite weathering, thermal cycling), topographic, or regional (i.e. tectonic) stresses? To test this hypothesis, we predicted the orientation of fractures subject to variable geologic conditions with a multi-scale weathering model of damage and fracture propagation implemented in the finite element method. We present predictions resulting from thermal contraction during cooling of the rock body, depressurization during rock exhumation, and regional tectonic compression. We then compare fractures generated under variable topographic stresses, surface weathering processes, and rock geochemistry (i.e., biotite fraction and orientation). By improving our understanding of how significantly pre-existing geologic conditions and rock fabrics influence fracturing, we can work towards disentangling this effect on observed fracture orientations and better interpret paleo-stresses for major tectonic events or potentially paleo-topography. Additionally, enhancing models for weathering mechanics and fracturing in granitic bodies may reveal sensitivities to changes in climate and critical zone evolution, with implications for the forecasting of rockfall hazards in relation to projected temperature and climatic changes.

How to cite: Reynolds, A., Lang, K., and Arson, C.: A comparison of exfoliation joint formation mechanisms: what is the role of surface processes?, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-1197, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-1197, 2024.

Mature fault zones are formed by abrasive wear products, such as gouge, which results from the frictional sliding occurring in successive slip events. Shear localization in fault gouge is strongly dependent on, among others, fault mineralogical composition and grain size distribution, originating a wide variety of microstructural textures that may be related to different types of fault motion from aseismic creep, slow earthquakes to fast slip events. Within a quartz fault zone, one can encounter different stages of maturity, ranging from an incipient and poorly developed fault zone (i.e. discontinuous and thin gouge layer) to a mature fault zone that has experienced a lot of wear from previous sliding events (i.e. well-developed gouge layer). The localization of deformation within a mature gouge layer has been identified as possibly responsible for mechanical weakening and as an indicator of a change in stability within the fault.

However, to upscale the physics of shear deformation, we need to unveil the physical parameters and micro-mechanisms that govern shear localization. To gain insights on the role of dynamic changes in grain size (i.e. fragmentation), in slip behavior and fault rheology, we performed 2D numerical simulations of quartz fault gouges in a direct shear configuration using the Discrete Element Method (code MELODY). We can reproduce angular particles that can fragment during the simulation as the fault gouge accumulates strain. These experiments were performed to understand the micro-mechanical processes happening during fragmentation and shearing at a constant normal stress. Three mixtures of quartz were sheared to reproduce different initial grain size distributions within the fault (average grain sizes 100 μm, 10.5 μm, and a 50% mixture of both). The minimum grain size was set to 10 μm, meaning that all the coarser particles are subdivided into smaller ones (size 10 μm) that can fragment during the experiment.

Thanks to visual and data outputs, we can observe how particles behave during the compaction and shearing of the gouge. We use four main parameters to describe fault gouge evolution: the damage of coarse particles, the force chains, the change of porosity, and the kinetic energy linked to each particle breakage. Moreover, these numerical experiments were designed to reproduce and be directly compared with shear experiments realized on a double direct shear apparatus in the Laboratory (Casas et al., in prep). The fragmentation algorithm in the code can reproduce the shear localization observed within the real quartz microstructures and the progressive formation of Riedel bands. The connection between numerical and laboratory experiments gives important information on the connection between grain size distribution, shear localization, Acoustic Emissions, and the resulting fault slip behavior. In this context, the proportion between small/coarse particles within the fault plays an important role in controlling fault rheology.

How to cite: Casas, N., Mollon, G., and Scuderi, M. M.: The role of grain fragmentation in understanding shear localization via DEM simulation, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-9339, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-9339, 2024.

In south-central Idaho, a segment of the Pioneer fault, exposed at Little Fall Creek, has accommodated large magnitude Mesozoic shortening overprinted by Paleogene extension. The resulting 30 m thick fault damage zone records a history of fault reactivation and associated deformation in quartz veins, graphite concentration on slip surfaces, polyphase contractional and extensional microstructures, and micro- to outcrop-scale corrugated, mineralized and polished slip surfaces. The gently west dipping (207°/14°) fault zone separates Ordovician argillite in the hanging wall from Mississippian argillite and quartzite in the footwall and accommodated east-northeast directed shortening. However, polished slip surfaces within the fault zone document top-to-the-west translation with a mean slip vector 15°/272°, consistent with extensional unroofing of the Pioneer Mountains core complex.

Argillite in the fault damage zone varies from proto- to ultra-cataclasite and provides evidence for overprinting of contractional fabrics by extensional fabrics. The fault damage zone is characterized by multiple anastomosing slip-surfaces which indicate a history of slip surface interactions, fault growth, and reactivation. Early deformation features include graphitic foliations and stylolites, SC foliations, and ptygmatic folds consistent with shortening. Quartz veins, mica fish, and slip surfaces coated with graphite, amorphous carbonaceous material, and amorphous quartz phases, overprint the early deformation features and are associated with west-directed extension. Hydrothermal quartz veins that show at least five phases of deformation indicate multiple strain episodes and high strain rates. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope textural analysis of the graphite in the fault damage zone show a loss of crystallinity toward the primary slip surface. We infer the late-stage meso- to micro-scale features record seismic slip and fluid-rock interactions in a gently dipping fault zone.

How to cite: Petrie, E., Burton, B., Bradbury, K., and Baldassarre, G.: Strain history of the Pioneer fault, Idaho, USA – progressive deformation and associated crystallographic alteration., EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-13927, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-13927, 2024.