Continuation of a deep borehole stress measurement profile near the San Andreas Fault: 2. Hydraulic fracturing stress measurements at Black Butte, Mojave Desert, California

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing stress measurements were obtained in the Black Butte drill hole, 18 km northeast of the San Andreas fault in the Mojave Desert, at depths from 251 to 635 m. In all tests the least and greatest horizontal principal stresses (Sh and SH, respectively) exceeded the vertical stress (Sν), indicating a thrust faulting stress regime. A single good‐quality hydraulic fracture impression from 309 m depth indicates an SH direction of N41°E ± 10°. This SH direction should be interpreted with caution because it is based on only one observation. This orientation is fairly compatible with nearby surface stress measurements but is incompatible with most of the hydraulic fracturing stress orientations reported from comparable depths in the Mojave Desert and is not favorable for right‐lateral slip on either the San Andreas fault or NW striking faults present farther to the east. The stress regime measured in the Black Butte hole is comparable to that measured at nearby shallow depths but differs from the strike‐slip or transitional (strike‐slip to thrust faulting) stress regime present at similar depths in two nearby holes: Crystallaire, 4 km northeast of fhe San Andreas fault, and Hi Vista, 32 km northeast of the San Andreas fault. The SH direction measured in these holes is approximately 60° counterclockwise of that observed in the Black Butte hole. The differences in stress magnitudes and orientation among these holes substantiate previous indications of local variations in stress in the upper kilometer of the crust in this area and cast doubt on the validity of linear elastic models in which the effects of the San Andreas fault dominate the stress field in the western Mojave Desert.