Nucleation and growth of strike-slip faults in limestones from Somerset, U.K.

Abstract

Small-scale structures along strike-slip fault zones in limestones exposed around the Bristol Channel, U.K., suggest that pressure solution plays a key role during fault nucleation and growth. Incipient shear zones consist of enéchelon veins. The first generation of solution seams form due to bending of the intact rock (bridge) between overlapping veins. As the bridge rotates, slip occurs along the seams, linking the veins, causing cm-scale calcite-filled pull-apart structures to form and allowing fault displacement to increase. A second generation of solution seams forms at the tip of the sliding seams. As displacement increases further, causing larger rotation, slip also can occur along these second-generation solution seams, producing the third generation of solution seams as well as tail cracks (pinnate veins) at their tips. These three generations of solution seams all contribute to the formation of individual fault segments. Fourth and fifth generations of solution seams occur within larger-scale contractional oversteps between side-stepping fault segments. The oversteps are breached by slip along these localized solution seams, eventually leading to the formation of a distinct through-going fault with several metres of displacement. The initial enéchelon veins, solution seams of various generations and tail cracks progressively fragment the fault-zone material as fault slip accumulates. Slip planes nucleate on these pre-existing discontinuities, principally along the clay-enriched, weaker solution seams. This can be observed at a variety of scales and suggests that Mode II shear fracturing does not occur as a primary fracture mechanism, but only as a macroscopic phenomenon following Mode I (veins and tail cracks) and anti-mode I (solution seams) deformation. It appears that solution seams can play a similar role to microcracks in localizing a through-going slip plane. This micromechanical model of faulting may be applicable to some other faults and shear zones in host rocks which are prone to pressure solution.