Abstract
Investigation of vein geometries has identified empirical relationships which allow extrapolation of outcrop-scale observation to larger scales. Measurements of vein shapes and aspect ratios in a number of different environments demonstrate that veins follow similar empirical scaling laws to those of faults. Geometries of veins are easier to characterise accurately than faults because their thickness is related to the variation in displacement from zero at their tips to a maximum at their thickest point. Vein sizes obey the empirical relationship: L = kT a where L = length in mm, T = thickness in mm, 20 < k < 2000 mm 1– a , for small veins 0.6 < a < 1.0 (usually between 0.7 and 0.8) and for large veins a > 1. This suggests that veins amplify initially by inflation and subsequently by elongation.
Published Version
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