Nanocoatings of clay and creep of the San Andreas fault at Parkfield, California

Abstract

Mudrock samples were investigated from two fault zones at ∼3066 m and ∼3296 m measured depth (MD) located outside and within the main damage zone of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) drillhole at Parkfield, California. All studied fault rocks show features typical of those reported across creep zones with variably spaced and interconnected networks of polished displacement surfaces coated by abundant polished films and occasional striations. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction study of the surfaces reveal the occurrence of neocrystallized thin film clay coatings containing illite-smectite (I-S) and chlorite-smectite (C-S) minerals. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of the illitic mix-layered coatings demonstrated Miocene to Pliocene crystallization and revealed an older fault strand (8 ± 1.3 Ma) at 3066 m MD, and a probably younger fault strand (4 ± 4.9 Ma) at 3296 m MD. Today, the younger strand is the site of active creep behavior, reflecting a possible (re)activation of these clay-weakened zones. We propose that the majority of slow fault creep is controlled by the high density of thin (