Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Two sides of a fault: Grain-scale analysis of pore pressure control on fault slip

Abstract

Pore fluid pressure in a fault zone can be altered by natural processes (e.g., mineral dehydration and thermal pressurization) and industrial operations involving subsurface fluid injection and extraction for the development of energy and water resources. However, the effect of pore pressure change on the stability and slip motion of a preexisting geologic fault remains poorly understood; yet, it is critical for the assessment of seismic hazard. In this study, we develop a micromechanical model to investigate the effect of pore pressure on fault slip behavior. The model couples fluid flow on the network of pores with mechanical deformation of the skeleton of solid grains. Pore fluid exerts pressure force onto the grains, the motion of which is solved using the discrete element method. We conceptualize the fault zone as a gouge layer sandwiched between two blocks. We study fault stability in the presence of a pressure discontinuity across the gouge layer and compare it with the case of continuous (homogeneous) pore pressure.We focus on the onset of shear failure in the gouge layer and reproduce conditions where the failure plane is parallel to the fault. We show that when the pressure is discontinuous across the fault, the onset ofmore » slip occurs on the side with the higher pore pressure, and that this onset is controlled by the maximum pressure on both sides of the fault. In conclusion, the results shed new light on the use of the effective stress principle and the Coulomb failure criterion in evaluating the stability of a complex fault zone.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Uppsala Univ. (Sweden); Wuhan Univ. (China)
  2. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1505588
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1422001
Grant/Contract Number:  
FE0009738; SC0018357
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review E
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 97; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2470-0045
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS

Citation Formats

Yang, Zhibing, and Juanes, Ruben. Two sides of a fault: Grain-scale analysis of pore pressure control on fault slip. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1103/physreve.97.022906.
Copy to clipboard
Yang, Zhibing, & Juanes, Ruben. Two sides of a fault: Grain-scale analysis of pore pressure control on fault slip. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.97.022906
Copy to clipboard
Yang, Zhibing, and Juanes, Ruben. Wed . "Two sides of a fault: Grain-scale analysis of pore pressure control on fault slip". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.97.022906. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1505588.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1505588,
title = {Two sides of a fault: Grain-scale analysis of pore pressure control on fault slip},
author = {Yang, Zhibing and Juanes, Ruben},
abstractNote = {Pore fluid pressure in a fault zone can be altered by natural processes (e.g., mineral dehydration and thermal pressurization) and industrial operations involving subsurface fluid injection and extraction for the development of energy and water resources. However, the effect of pore pressure change on the stability and slip motion of a preexisting geologic fault remains poorly understood; yet, it is critical for the assessment of seismic hazard. In this study, we develop a micromechanical model to investigate the effect of pore pressure on fault slip behavior. The model couples fluid flow on the network of pores with mechanical deformation of the skeleton of solid grains. Pore fluid exerts pressure force onto the grains, the motion of which is solved using the discrete element method. We conceptualize the fault zone as a gouge layer sandwiched between two blocks. We study fault stability in the presence of a pressure discontinuity across the gouge layer and compare it with the case of continuous (homogeneous) pore pressure.We focus on the onset of shear failure in the gouge layer and reproduce conditions where the failure plane is parallel to the fault. We show that when the pressure is discontinuous across the fault, the onset of slip occurs on the side with the higher pore pressure, and that this onset is controlled by the maximum pressure on both sides of the fault. In conclusion, the results shed new light on the use of the effective stress principle and the Coulomb failure criterion in evaluating the stability of a complex fault zone.},
doi = {10.1103/physreve.97.022906},
journal = {Physical Review E},
number = 2,
volume = 97,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {2}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.97.022906
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 11 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Figures / Tables:

FIG. 1. FIG. 1.: Schematic of the coupled hydromechanical model based on the discrete element method (DEM) and a pore network flow (PNF) model. (a) Pore network in a five-grain setup (transparent yellow spheres); the pores are shown by purple spheres and the throat by a green cylinder; the edges of themore » tetrahedral tessellation are shown with red lines. Each pore is composed of the void space within a tetrahedron whose four nodes are the centers of the surrounding grains. Each throat is defined by the open area within a triangular face of a tetrahedron. The pore volumes and throat conductances are calculated based on local geometry. (b) Grain pack (cut in half and rendered in 50% opaque yellow color) and accompanying pore network. (c) Schematic of the couplings in the DEM–PNF model.« less
All figures and tables (8 total)
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

Spanning the scales of granular materials through microscopic force imaging
journal, March 2015

  • Brodu, Nicolas; Dijksman, Joshua A.; Behringer, Robert P.
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 6, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7361

A bonded-particle model for rock
journal, December 2004

  • Potyondy, D. O.; Cundall, P. A.
  • International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, Vol. 41, Issue 8, p. 1329-1364
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmms.2004.09.011

A review of recent developments concerning the structure, mechanics and fluid flow properties of fault zones
journal, November 2010

  • Faulkner, D. R.; Jackson, C. A. L.; Lunn, R. J.
  • Journal of Structural Geology, Vol. 32, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jsg.2010.06.009

Quantifying Interparticle Forces and Heterogeneity in 3D Granular Materials
journal, August 2016

Seismicity triggered by fluid injection-induced aseismic slip
journal, June 2015

Nucleation of frictional instability caused by fluid pressurization in subducted blueschist
journal, March 2016

  • Sawai, Michiyo; Niemeijer, André R.; Plümper, Oliver
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015GL067569

Numerical simulations of granular shear zones using the distinct element method: 1. Shear zone kinematics and the micromechanics of localization
journal, February 1999

  • Morgan, Julia K.; Boettcher, Margaret S.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 104, Issue B2
  • DOI: 10.1029/1998JB900056

Impact of CO 2 geological sequestration on the nucleation of earthquakes : CO
journal, September 2011

  • Cappa, Frédéric; Rutqvist, Jonny
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 38, Issue 17
  • DOI: 10.1029/2011GL048487

3D numerical simulations of fault gouge evolution during shear: Grain size reduction and strain localization
journal, September 2008

Earthquake slip between dissimilar poroelastic materials
journal, January 2008

  • Dunham, Eric M.; Rice, James R.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 113, Issue B9
  • DOI: 10.1029/2007JB005405

Poromechanics of stick-slip frictional sliding and strength recovery on tectonic faults: POROMECHANICS OF STICK-SLIP
journal, October 2015

  • Scuderi, Marco M.; Carpenter, Brett M.; Johnson, Paul A.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 120, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015JB011983

Numerical simulation of the quicksand phenomenon by a 3D coupled Discrete Element - Lattice Boltzmann hydromechanical model: Numerical simulation of the quicksand phenomenon by a 3D coupled Discrete Element - Lattice Boltzmann hydromechanical model
journal, August 2016

  • Mansouri, Mouloud; El Youssoufi, Moulay Said; Nicot, François
  • International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, Vol. 41, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1002/nag.2556

Were the May 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquakes induced? A coupled flow-geomechanics modeling assessment: MODELING THE MAY 2012 EMILIA EARTHQUAKES
journal, July 2016

  • Juanes, R.; Jha, B.; Hager, B. H.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 13
  • DOI: 10.1002/2016GL069284

Frictional Properties of Sedimentary Rocks and Natural Fault Gouge from the Longmen Shan Fault Zone, Sichuan, China
journal, October 2010

  • Verberne, B. A.; He, C.; Spiers, C. J.
  • Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, Vol. 100, Issue 5B
  • DOI: 10.1785/0120090287

Meso-mechanical analysis of deformation characteristics for dynamically triggered slip in a granular medium
journal, July 2012

Discrete particle-continuum fluid modelling of gas–solid fluidised beds
journal, July 2002

Direct simulation of fluid-solid mechanics in porous media using the discrete element and lattice-Boltzmann methods
journal, January 2007

  • Boutt, David F.; Cook, Benjamin K.; McPherson, Brian J. O. L.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 112, Issue B10
  • DOI: 10.1029/2004JB003213

Earthquakes triggered by fluid extraction
journal, January 1989

Particle Scale Reservoir Mechanics
journal, September 2002

Ubiquitous weakening of faults due to thermal pressurization
journal, October 2015

  • Viesca, Robert C.; Garagash, Dmitry I.
  • Nature Geoscience, Vol. 8, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2554

Pore-scale modeling of fluid-particles interaction and emerging poromechanical effects: PORE-SCALE MODELING OF FLUID-PARTICLES INTERACTION
journal, June 2013

  • Catalano, E.; Chareyre, B.; Barthélémy, E.
  • International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, Vol. 38, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/nag.2198

Injection-Induced Earthquakes
journal, July 2013

Fragmentation and shear band formation by slow compression of brittle porous media
journal, November 2016

Earthquake slip weakening and asperities explained by thermal pressurization
journal, August 2005

  • Wibberley, Christopher A. J.; Shimamoto, Toshihiko
  • Nature, Vol. 436, Issue 7051
  • DOI: 10.1038/nature03901

Geomechanical analysis of fluid injection and seismic fault slip for the M w 4.8 Timpson, Texas, earthquake sequence : GEOMECHANICS OF FLUID INJECTION TIMPSON
journal, April 2016

  • Fan, Zhiqiang; Eichhubl, Peter; Gale, Julia F. W.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 121, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1002/2016JB012821

Heating and weakening of faults during earthquake slip: HEATING AND WEAKENING OF FAULTS
journal, May 2006

  • Rice, James R.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 111, Issue B5
  • DOI: 10.1029/2005JB004006

Force chain buckling, unjamming transitions and shear banding in dense granular assemblies
journal, October 2007

Gouge Particle Evolution in a Rock Fracture Undergoing Shear: a Microscopic DEM Study
journal, February 2013

Frictional response of a thick gouge sample: 1. Mechanical measurements and microstructures
journal, January 2006

  • Chambon, Guillaume; Schmittbuhl, Jean; Corfdir, Alain
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 111, Issue B9
  • DOI: 10.1029/2003JB002731

Preferential Mode of gas invasion in sediments: Grain-scale mechanistic model of coupled multiphase fluid flow and sediment mechanics
journal, January 2009

  • Jain, A. K.; Juanes, R.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 114, Issue B8
  • DOI: 10.1029/2008JB006002

A numerical investigation of the structure of persistent shear bands in granular media
journal, December 1991

The internal structure of fault zones: fluid flow and mechanical properties
journal, January 2008

  • Kurz, W.; Imber, J.; Wibberley, C. A. J.
  • Geological Society, London, Special Publications, Vol. 299, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1144/SP299.1

Seasonal water storage, stress modulation, and California seismicity
journal, June 2017

  • Johnson, Christopher W.; Fu, Yuning; Bürgmann, Roland
  • Science, Vol. 356, Issue 6343
  • DOI: 10.1126/science.aak9547

Simulating deformations of granular solids under shear
journal, August 1995

  • Tillemans, Hans-Jürgen; Herrmann, Hans J.
  • Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Vol. 217, Issue 3-4
  • DOI: 10.1016/0378-4371(95)00111-J

Acoustically induced slip in sheared granular layers: Application to dynamic earthquake triggering: TRIGGERED SLIP IN SHEARED GRANULAR GOUGE
journal, November 2015

  • Ferdowsi, Behrooz; Griffa, Michele; Guyer, Robert A.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 42, Issue 22
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015GL066096

Frictional properties of shale reservoir rocks: SHALE FRICTIONAL PROPERTIES
journal, September 2013

  • Kohli, Arjun H.; Zoback, Mark D.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 118, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1002/jgrb.50346

Stick-slip behavior in a continuum-granular experiment
journal, December 2015

Rupture Cascades in a Discrete Element Model of a Porous Sedimentary Rock
journal, February 2014

Fault slip controlled by stress path and fluid pressurization rate: FAULT SLIP DURING FLUID PRESSURIZATION
journal, May 2016

  • French, Melodie E.; Zhu, Wenlu; Banker, Jeremy
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068893

Modeling of rock friction: 1. Experimental results and constitutive equations
journal, January 1979

The Denver EarthquakeS
journal, September 1968

Effective normal stress alteration due to pore pressure changes induced by dynamic slip propagation on a plane between dissimilar materials
journal, January 2006

  • Rudnicki, John W.; Rice, James R.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 111, Issue B10
  • DOI: 10.1029/2006JB004396

Slip instability and state variable friction laws
journal, December 1983

Laboratory-Derived Friction laws and Their Application to Seismic Faulting
journal, May 1998

Rigidity phase transition in granular packings
journal, December 1999

Shape Factor and Hydraulic Conductance in Noncircular Capillaries
journal, April 2001

  • Patzek, T. W.; Silin, D. B.
  • Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol. 236, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1006/jcis.2000.7413

A discrete numerical model for granular assemblies
journal, March 1979

Earthquake nucleation in weak subducted carbonates
journal, August 2016

  • Kurzawski, Robert M.; Stipp, Michael; Niemeijer, André R.
  • Nature Geoscience, Vol. 9, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2774

The Mechanics of Earthquakes and Faulting
journal, June 1993

Structural geology
journal, June 1993

    Sort by:
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Role of Well Operations and Multiphase Geomechanics in Controlling Fault Stability During CO 2 Storage and Enhanced Oil Recovery
    journal, July 2019

    • Zhao, Xiaoxi; Jha, Birendra
    • Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 124, Issue 7
    • DOI: 10.1029/2019jb017298

    Preferential flow pathways in a deforming granular material: self-organization into functional groups for optimized global transport
    journal, December 2019

    • van der Linden, Joost H.; Tordesillas, Antoinette; Narsilio, Guillermo A.
    • Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, Issue 1
    • DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54699-6
      Sort by:
      [ × clear filter / sort ]

      Figures / Tables found in this record:

      FIG. 1. (p. 3)figure
      FIG. 2 (p. 4)figure
      FIG. 3 (p. 6)figure
      TABLE I (p. 6)table
      FIG. 4 (p. 7)figure
      FIG. 5 (p. 8)figure
      FIG. 6 (p. 8)figure
      FIG. 7 (p. 9)figure
        [ × clear filter / sort ]
        Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.

        Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections: