A trishear model with self-adaptive propagation-to-slip ratio

Abstract

Natural beds at different stratigraphic levels display different degrees of folding. Variable propagation-to-slip ratios in the trishear models are more appropriate for the reproduction of natural folds. An improved trishear model with self-adaptive propagation-to-slip ratio, called TMSP, is proposed in this paper. Transverse isotropy elastic constitutive relationships are utilized to formulate the mechanic behaviors of the overlying sediments. The von Mises failure criterion is introduced to determine whether the material points are destroyed in TMSP. Compared with previous trishear models, TMSP has the advantage that propagation-to-slip ratio can be updated with the proceeding of fault rupture propagation and is not required to be predetermined. A natural fault-propagation fold, Tejerina fold, can be reproduced well by TMSP. Finally, a series of simulations are conducted to investigate the influences of three key parameters of TMSP, including apical angle, yield stress, and elastic modulus, on faulting process and folding growth.