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Mechanical Modelling of Fault Propagation Through Mechanically Layered Sequences – Implications for Fault Zone Complexity
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 72nd EAGE Conference and Exhibition incorporating SPE EUROPEC 2010, Jun 2010, cp-161-00282
- ISBN: 978-90-73781-86-3
Abstract
This paper uses a new mechanical model (FaultProp) to study fault nucleation and propagation in mechanically layered sequences. Field mapping of two outcrops in Sinai and Utah show complex fault patterns formed when a horizontal extensional strain is applied to interbedded strata with contrasting mechanical properties: closely spaced low throw layer-bound faults form in certain layers, but the outcrops also contain several larger faults cutting through the entire section. Mechanical modelling with FaultProp shows that the key factors controlling the distribution and density of layer-bound and through-cutting faults are the contrast in friction coefficient and ductility between the layers. If these results can be upscaled then it is hoped that this modelling approach will be able to predict complexity in larger scale fault zones in the subsurface.