Fractal-wave nature of the geological environment of coal formation at Donbas

Abstract

The structure investigation of the fault and folded deformations of sedimentary deposits at Donbas on various scale levels: from microdislocations to large amplitude ones is carried out. It is established that on all scale levels, the lateral frequency of the folds resulting from the wave processes caused by pulsed horizontal tectonic forces in the post-inversion period is seen. According to the parameters of natural and technogenic fault dislocations of Donbas, the authors calculated fractal dimensions for dependencies of lengths, the number of deformations, the surface area of shifters, the distance between the cracks from the scale of maps for individual mines and workings, coal beds and sandstones. The measurements were carried out on micrographs of coal particles, in mining workings, according to the geological maps of Donbas and individual districts. The distributions of fault deformations in the coalrock massif are described by lognormal and power laws, which indicates the fractality of the fault deformation of sedimentary deposits at Donbas, and the differences of fractal dimensions at various scale levels point at its multifractality. The accuracy of the obtained results is confirmed by the similarity of fractal dimensions calculated by various methods. The discrepancy between the values of fractal dimensions at the different scale levels reflects the impact of additional local or regional factors affecting the formation of the basin framework. The obtained data attest to the action of fractal-wave processes, which, being superpositioned on the resulting deposits, formed a complex structure of the sedimentary thickness of Donbas.