Elevated Pore Fluid Pressures Research Articles

Deep and ultra-deep basin brittle deformation with focus on China

This volume describes progress in understanding brittle structures in deep and ultra-deep (>4 km to > 7 km) sedimentary basins. Under deep conditions in sandstone, carbonate rocks, shale, and other rocks, fluid charge and resource recovery are sensitive to faults and opening-mode fractures. In China, work is in progress on deep, deformed, and tectonically active basins including drilling of wells expected to exceed 10 km in depth. Papers describing fractures in horizontal wells indicate locally highly clustered spatial arrangements. Orientation patterns record protracted superposed deformation. Despite deep settings, open fractures are abundant, and wide (>1 mm) fractures with varying amounts of sealing calcite are common. Differences in cement abundances are due to the diagenetic history of fractures, not their origins (e.g., tectonic loading or elevated pore fluid pressure). In carbonate rocks, solution enhanced strike-slip faults and fractures with cavernous porosity are present, and in sandstone enigmatic enhanced host-rock porosity halos a few mm wide locally surround sealed fractures. Owing to differences in thermal exposure due to recent (>6 Ma to present) rapid deep burial (in some cases >2000 m) and locally low geothermal gradients, some fractures at great depths are less diagenetically altered than those at shallower depths in the North American Cordillera. Contrasts in diagenesis may affect fracture size, spatial arrangement, and connectivity.

Fast and Slow Earthquakes in Alaska: Implications from a Three-Dimensional Thermal Regime and Slab Metamorphism

Fast and slow earthquakes are predominantly generated along faults constituting active plate boundaries. Characterized by repeated devastating earthquakes and frequent slow slip events and tremors, the Alaska megathrust presents a chance to understand the complicated dynamics of a subduction system changing from steep to shallow dips associated with enigmatically abundant fast and slow seismic events. Based on three-dimensional thermal modeling, we find that the downgoing metamorphosed oceanic crust containing bound water releases a large amount of fluid and causes the recurrence of fast and slow earthquakes by elevated pore fluid pressure and hydrofracturing. The seismogenic interface and the slow slip events (SSEs) identified beneath the Upper Cook Inlet coincide well with the slab metamorphic dehydration regions. The observed slow earthquakes with quasi-stable fault slips preferentially occur, accompanied by high dehydration and temperature downdip along the transition zone.

Gas Sources, Migration, and Accumulation Systems: The Shallow Subsurface and Near-Seafloor Gas Hydrate Deposits

Compared with the deeply buried marine gas hydrate deposits, gas hydrates in the shallow subsurface, close to and at the seafloor, have attracted more attention owing to their concentrated distribution, high saturation, and easy access. They accumulate at relatively shallow depths <100–120 m and occur as gas hydrate-bearing mounds (also known as hydrate outcrops, pingoes) at the seafloor derived from the growth of hydrates in the shallow subsurface or as pure hydrate chunks formed by gas leakage. This paper reviews and summarizes such gas hydrate systems globally from the perspective of gas sources, migration pathways, and accumulation processes. Here, we divided them into four categories: fault-chimney-controlled, diapir-fault-controlled, fault-controlled, and submarine mud volcano-controlled deposits. Gas chimneys originate immediately above the restricted regions, mostly affected by faults where high gas concentrations trigger elevated pore fluid pressures. Diapirism derives a dendritic network of growth faults facilitating focused gas discharge and hydrate formation near the seafloor. Furthermore, pre-existing faults or fractures created by overpressured gas from greater depths in accretionary tectonics at convergent margins act as preferential pathways channeling free gas upwards to the seafloor. Gas flux rates decrease from the submarine mud volcano center to its margins, creating a concentric pattern of distributing temperature, gas concentrations, and hydrate contents in shallow sediments around the mud volcano. Hydrate-bound hydrocarbons are commonly of thermogenic origin and correspond to high-background geothermal conditions, whereas microbial gas is dominant in a few cases. The presence of heavier hydrocarbons mitigates the inhibition of hydrate formation by salt or heat. Fluid migration and pathways could be compared to the “blood” and “bones” in an organic system, respectively. The root of a pathway serves as the “heart” that gathers and provides considerable free gas concentrations in a restricted area, thereby triggering pore fluid pressures as one important drive force for focused fluid flow in impermeable sediments (the organic system). Besides the suitable temperature and pressure conditions, a prerequisite for the formation and stability of hydrate deposits in the shallow subsurface and at the seafloor is the sufficient supply of gas-rich fluids through the hydrate stability zone. Thus, the proportion of gas migrating from deep sources is significantly larger than that trapped in hydrates. As such, such marine hydrate deposits seem more like temporary carbon storage rather than the main culprit for climate warming at least in a short period.

Geologic Evidence of Lithostatic Pore Fluid Pressures at the Base of the Subduction Seismogenic Zone

AbstractGeophysical and rheological work below the subduction seismogenic zone suggest that elevated pore fluid pressures (Pfs) may facilitate slow slip and tremor. However, quantification of Pf and its variation in this environment remain indirect and incomplete. We examine brittle‐frictional deformation within metasedimentary rocks from an exhumed subduction zone. Here, penetrative foliation formed under viscous deformation conditions by pressure‐solution creep at 0.9 GPa, 300–350°C, and differential stresses <35 MPa. Three sets of crack‐seal veins, precipitated at peak subduction temperatures, cross‐cut this foliation. Mechanical inversions of these veins indicate they formed within a single stress field orientation with foliation, but at different magnitudes of differential stress. These deformation structures reveal near‐lithostatic Pf that fluctuated in time by perhaps only ∼4 MPa, resulting in cyclic mode I and shear fracturing and viscous flow, and support slow slip and tremor mechanisms that require or are enhanced by high Pf and low differential stress.

A giant sand injection complex: Processes and implications for basin evolution and subsurface fluid flow

Giant sand injection complexes form, intricate, basin-scale fluid plumbing systems and document the remobilisation and intrusion of several tens of cubic kilometres of sand within the shallow crust in stratigraphic units 1009s metres thick. This is the first detailed and extensive account of the Panoche Giant Injection Complex (PGIG), a regionally significant outcrop (>300 km²) and part of a larger subsurface development (>4000 km²) identified in boreholes and on seismic reflection data. Magnificent exposure of the PGIC occurs along the north western margin of the San Joaquin Valley and presents the opportunity to examine the regional geological significance of a giant sand injection complex and its origin in the context of a late Cretaceous – early Paleocene forearc basin. Between 25 and 49 km³ of sand were remobilised and injected, at least 0.35 km³ of which extruded onto the paleo-seafloor. Large sandstone intrusions often >10 m thick and laterally extensive on a kilometer scale formed saucer-shaped intrusions, wing-like intrusions and a variety of sill geometries along with volumetrically smaller randomly oriented dikes in a 200–300 m thick interval. Dikes prevail below and above this interval, some reaching the paleo seafloor and extruding sand. Networks of propagating hydrofractures form intensely brecciated host strata, some of which were intruded by sand. All intrusions formed in a single pulsed event in which the most intense hydrofracturing caused by supra-lithostatic fluid pressure occurred approximately 600 to 800 m below the paleo seafloor. A crudely orthogonal arrangement of dikes is preserved with most oriented normal, and less commonly oriented parallel to the oceanic trench associated with the late Mesozoic to early Tertiary North Pacific subduction. Dikes orthogonal to the trench opened against the minimum horizontal stress, which was parallel to the trench. Dikes parallel to the trench opened against the regional maximum horizontal stress along minor faults formed in extension caused by shallow crustal deformation. There is no evidence that compressional tectonics influenced the onset of elevated pore fluid pressure necessary to promote sand injection. However, tectonic compression was responsible for creating the basin physiography that locally increased subsidence and accelerated chemical diagenesis in the basin centre. PGIC outcrop, located along the basin margins, was unlikely to have experienced heating above 70 °C, equivalent about 2 km burial, so the effects of chemical diagenesis in the host strata of the injection complex had negligible potential to evolve significant pore water volume. In a deeper part of the basin approximately 150 km to the south, lateral equivalents of the host strata were subjected to heating >100 °C and would expel significant volumes of water displaced by quartz cementation and clay dehydration that caused lateral pressure transfer to the north and western margin of the basin where the PGIC formed. Estimates of the total volume of water expelled from the deep basin suggest that a fluid volume equivalent to a gross rock volume reduction <1% would have provided a fluid budget sufficient to fluidise and inject the sand that forms the PGIC. In terms of areal and vertical extent, volume and architecture the PGIC shares strong similarity with the regionally developed giant injectite systems of Tertiary age in the North Sea basin. In both cases regional sand injection is genetically linked to pressure transfer toward the basin margin from more rapidly subsiding basin centres. Aqueous fluid is derived from thermally driven chemical diagenesis of thick deep water clastic sandstone and smectitic mudstone or from deeper, stratigraphically older, aquifers.

The stabilizing effect of high pore-fluid pressure along subduction megathrust faults: Evidence from friction experiments on accretionary sediments from the Nankai Trough

Pore-fluid pressure is an important parameter in controlling fault mechanics as it lowers the effective normal stress, allowing fault slip at lower shear stress. It is also thought to influence the nature of fault slip, particularly in subduction zones where areas of slow slip have been linked to regions of elevated pore-fluid pressure. Despite the importance of pore-fluid pressure on fault mechanics, its role on controlling fault stability, which is determined by the friction rate parameter (a−b), is poorly constrained, particularly for fault materials from subduction zones. In the winter of 2018-19 the accretionary complex overlying the Nankai Trough subduction zone (SW Japan) was drilled as part of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 358. Here we test the frictional stability of the accretionary sediments recovered during the expedition by performing a series of velocity-stepping experiments on powdered samples (to simulate fault gouge) while systematically varying the pore-fluid pressure and effective normal stress conditions. The Nankai gouges, despite only containing 25% phyllosilicates, are strongly rate-strengthening and exhibit negative values for the rate-and-state parameter b. We find that for experiments where the effective normal stress is held constant and the pore-fluid pressure is increased the Nankai gouges become more rate-strengthening, and thus more stable (an increase in (a−b) of ∼6 × 10−5 MPa−1 with increasing pore-pressure). In contrast, when the pore-fluid pressure is held constant and the effective normal stress is varied, there is minimal effect on the frictional stability of the gouge. The increase in frictional stability of the gouge at elevated pore-fluid pressure is caused by an evolution in the rate-and-state parameter b, which becomes more negative at high pore-fluid pressure. These results have important implications for understanding the nature of slip in subduction zones and suggest the stabilizing effect of pore-fluid pressure could promote slow slip or aseismic creep on areas of the subduction interface that might otherwise experience earthquake rupture.

The Potential for Low‐Grade Metamorphism to Facilitate Fault Instability in a Geothermal Reservoir

AbstractNative and fluid circulation‐induced metamorphic products may affect the stability of faults in geothermal reservoirs–particularly epidote (Ep) and chlorite (Cl). Our laboratory experiments conducted at hydrothermal conditions show that these two minerals, when precipitated on natural faults, may promote fault instability or failure under conditions typifying a geothermal reservoir. Shear experiments on Ep‐rich fault gouges indicate potentially unstable frictional behavior—more pronounced at elevated temperatures and pore fluid pressures—and indicate increased potential for the nucleation of slip instability relative to that of the host granodiorite gouge. Experimental results indicate in particular that Ep can increase the potential for induced seismicity on existing faults. Increased proportions of Cl in gouges stabilize the faults but apparently lower the frictional strength. Our results reveal that the metamorphic minerals exert a subtle but potentially significant control on fault strength and stability in geothermal reservoirs.

About this title - Subsurface Sand Remobilization and Injection

Sand injectites form during shallow-crustal deformation. Short periods of elevated pore-fluid pressure, which developed regionally, triggered formation of hydrofracture networks into which sand was sometimes injected. Sand injection complexes preserve a record of this process and sandstone intrusions are significant reservoirs in many petroleum systems. Most known subsurface sand injection complexes are from offshore NW Europe and associated with Paleogene strata. Outcrop occurrence is global. Sand injection into unconventional host rocks, including granitoid and metamorphic basement and coal seams, raises awareness of the breadth of geological environments in which sand injection may occur. Discordance between sandstone intrusions and sedimentary hosts occurs on a scale from millimetres to kilometres and is a fundamental diagnostic of intrusions. Microscale textural characterization provides new opportunities to establish possible additional criteria for differentiating intrusions from depositional sandstone. The significance of sand injection complexes in shallow crustal evolution is exemplified by the wide range of lithological hosts and diverse tectonostratigraphic settings documented in this volume. Potential for original research still remains.

Micro- and nano-porosity of the active Alpine Fault zone, New Zealand

Abstract. Porosity reduction in rocks from a fault core can cause elevated pore fluid pressures and consequently influence the recurrence time of earthquakes. We investigated the porosity distribution in the New Zealand's Alpine Fault core in samples recovered during the first phase of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP-1B) by using two-dimensional nanoscale and three-dimensional microscale imaging. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography-derived analyses of open pore spaces show total microscale porosities in the range of 0.1 %–0.24 %. These pores have mainly non-spherical, elongated, flat shapes and show subtle bipolar orientation. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy reveal the samples' microstructural organization, where nanoscale pores ornament grain boundaries of the gouge material, especially clay minerals. Our data imply that (i) the porosity of the fault core is very small and not connected; (ii) the distribution of clay minerals controls the shape and orientation of the associated pores; (iii) porosity was reduced due to pressure solution processes; and (iv) mineral precipitation in fluid-filled pores can affect the mechanical behavior of the Alpine Fault by decreasing the already critically low total porosity of the fault core, causing elevated pore fluid pressures and/or introducing weak mineral phases, and thus lowering the overall fault frictional strength. We conclude that the current state of very low porosity in the Alpine Fault core is likely to play a key role in the initiation of the next fault rupture.

The Basal Friction Coefficient of Granular Flows With and Without Excess Pore Pressure: Implications for Pyroclastic Density Currents, Water‐Rich Debris Flows, and Rock and Submarine Avalanches

AbstractNumerous large‐scale geophysical flows propagate with low‐apparent basal friction coefficients, but the source of such phenomenology is poorly known. Motivated by scarce basal friction data from natural flows, we use numerical methods to investigate the interaction of granular flows with their substrate under idealized conditions. Here we investigate 3‐D monodisperse and polydisperse fluid‐particle granular flow rheology and flow‐substrate interaction using discrete element modeling and coarse‐graining techniques. This combination allows us to calculate the continuum fields of solid fraction, velocity, shear stress, and solid pressure and compare it with force measurements on the substrate. We show that the wall/basal friction coefficient is not constant. Instead, it is a function of the nondimensional slip defined as the ratio of the slip velocity over the slip velocity fluctuations. The scaling of the wall friction with nondimensional slip is independent of air viscosity and density and presence of excess pore pressure. Therefore, the reduction of the basal stress that must occur in mobile natural flows with excess pore pressure is not ascribed to the lowering of wall friction coefficient. Instead, lowering of the normal stress by fluid drag in flows with elevated pore fluid pressure justifies the definition of effective wall and internal friction coefficients to capture the geophysical flow rheology and the forcing on its substrate. These results are fundamental to understand the dynamics of geophysical mass flows including pyroclastic density currents, water‐rich debris flows, and rock and submarine avalanches.

Spatiotemporal behavior of a large-scale landslide at Mt. Onnebetsu-dake, Japan, detected by three L-band SAR satellites

We applied differential InSAR analysis to the Shiretoko Peninsula, northeastern Hokkaido, Japan. All the interferograms of long temporal baseline (~ 3 years) processed from SAR data of three L-band satellites (JERS-1, ALOS, ALOS-2) commonly indicate remarkable phase changes due to the landslide movement at the southeastern flank of Mt. Onnebetsu-dake, a Quaternary stratovolcano. The area of interferometric phase change matches to known landslide morphologies. Judging from the timing of the SAR image acquisitions, this landslide has been moving at least from 1993 to the present. Successive interferograms of 1-year temporal baseline indicate the temporal fluctuation of the landslide velocity. Especially for the descending interferograms, the positive line-of-sight (LOS) length change, which indicates large subsidence relative to the horizontal movement, is observed in the upslope section of the landslide during 1993–1998, while the negative LOS change is observed in the middle and the downslope section after 2007 indicating less subsidence. The landslide activity culminates from 2014 to 2017: the eastward and the vertical displacement rates reach ~ 6 and ~ 2 cm/yr, respectively. Utilizing high spatial resolution of ALOS and ALOS-2 data, we investigated velocity distribution inside the landslide. During 2007–2010, the eastward component of surface displacement increases toward the east, implying that the landslide extends toward the east. During 2014–2017, the vertical displacement profile exhibits spatially periodic uplift and subsidence consistent with surface gradient, which indicates the ongoing deformation driven by gravitational force. Heavy rainfall associated with three typhoons in August 2016 might have brought about an increase in the landslide velocity, possibly due to elevated pore-fluid pressure within and/or at the base of the landslide material. Also, annual rainfall would be an important factor that prescribes the landslide velocity averaged over 3 years.

Temperature and Fluid Pressurization Effects on Frictional Stability of Shale Faults Reactivated by Hydraulic Fracturing in the Changning Block, Southwest China

AbstractA shale fault reactivated during multistage hydraulic fracturing in the Changning block in the Sichuan Basin, southwest China, accompanied a cluster of small earthquakes with the largest reaching ML ~ 0.8. We illuminate the underlying mechanisms of fault reactivation through measurements of frictional properties on simulated fault gouge under hydrothermal conditions. Velocity‐stepping experiments were performed at a confining pressure of 60 MPa, temperatures from 30 to 300°C, pore fluid pressures from 10 to 55 MPa, and shear velocities between 0.122 and 1.22 μm/s. Results show that the gouge is frictionally strong with coefficient of friction of 0.6–0.7 across all experimental conditions. At observed in situ pore fluid pressure (30 MPa), the slip stability response is characterized by velocity strengthening at temperatures of 30–200°C and velocity weakening at temperatures of 250–300°C. Increasing the pore fluid pressure can increase values of (a − b) at temperatures ≥200°C, narrowing the temperature range where velocity weakening occurs. At the in situ temperature (90°C), the simulated gouge shows only velocity strengthening behavior and aseismic slip at elevated pore fluid pressures, contrary to the observed seismicity. We postulate that the aseismic slip at elevated pore fluid pressures may trigger seismicity by activating adjacent earthquake‐prone faults.

Uncovering the physical controls of deep subduction zone slow slip using supervised classification of subducting plate features

Summary Deep slow slip events (SSEs) at subduction zones have significantly contributed to refining our understanding of the megathrust earthquake cycle at the brittle-ductile transition. However, the specific combination of factors that determine their occurrence has not yet been fully explored. Here we evaluate the contribution of several of these characteristics using globally mapped geophysical data that are used as proxies for physical properties of the subducting plate. This is performed by classifying 25 km-wide, trench-parallel segments into binary classes based on the observation (or lack thereof) of deep, short- or long-term SSEs. The five characteristics explored here include subducting plate age, sediment thickness, relative plate velocity, slab dip, and plate surface roughness. We use these characteristics to train six Machine Learning models based on different learning algorithms: Gaussian Naïve Bayes, Logistic Regression, Linear Discriminant Analysis, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and K-Nearest Neighbour. Short-term SSE models show that subducting plate age, relative velocity, and sediment thickness have the strongest predictive power with the first two characteristics negatively correlating and sediment thickness positively correlating with SSE occurrence, respectively. These results are consistent with a conceptual model where slow slip is controlled by conditions favoring the enduring release (and possible storage) of fluids near the source region. However, the relationship between these features and elevated pore fluid pressures is not established here and further evidence is needed to validate this hypothesis. We then use a final model constructed as a weighted average of the best performing models to make predictions on the probability of SSE occurrence, with predicted short-term SSE occurrence in South America, the Aleutians, Sumatra, Vanuatu and Solomon, as well as long-term SSE occurrence in the Aleutians, Izu-Bonin, Kuril-Kamchatka, Mariana, and Tonga-Kermadec. Overall, long-term SSE models do not perform as well as the short-term SSE models which may indicate that long-term SSEs are controlled by a different and/or extended set of physical characteristics than the short-term SSEs.

Potential formation mechanisms of early diagenetic displacive veins in the Permian Boda Claystone Formation

The Boda Claystone Formation is the most promising host rock for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste in Hungary. The formation has several properties obstructing the migration of radionuclides; however, structural heterogeneities may nonetheless act as migration pathways. Therefore, understanding the tectonic evolution of the formation is vital. Previous research has identified four different vein generations in the BAF–2 well. This study deals with the generation of veins that contain characteristic microstructures, such as curved wall rock inclusions in bands, trails and cone-in-cone arrangements. Based on optical, cathodoluminescence and electron microscopy, together with X-ray fluorescence and Raman microspectroscopy, these veins appear to have potentially formed during early diagenetic processes. Vein development was continuous and occurred along horizontal surfaces. The abovementioned structural elements were formed by growing crystals; however, primary crystal morphologies were presumably replaced during diagenetic and hydrothermal processes. A theoretical model is described, which could be responsible for the horizontal and continuous vein opening and simultaneous crystallisation in sediments with high (but easily degraded) effective porosity. According to this model, compaction, pressure solution, elevated pore fluid pressures, seepage forces and the force of crystallisation can all play important roles in the formation of these types of veins.

Vp/Vs Ratio of Incoming Sediments Off Cascadia Subduction Zone From Analysis of Controlled‐Source Multicomponent OBS Records

AbstractP‐to‐S‐converted waves observed in controlled‐source multicomponent ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) records were used to derive the Vp/Vs structure of Cascadia Basin sediments. We used P‐to‐S waves converted at the basement to derive an empirical function describing the average Vp/Vs of Cascadia sediments as a function of sediment thickness. We derived one‐dimensional interval Vp/Vs functions from semblance velocity analysis of S‐converted intrasediment and basement reflections, which we used to define an empirical Vp/Vs versus burial depth compaction trend. We find that seaward from the Cascadia deformation front, Vp/Vs structure offshore northern Oregon and Washington shows little variability along strike, while the structure of incoming sediments offshore central Oregon is more heterogeneous and includes intermediate‐to‐deep sediment layers of anomalously elevated Vp/Vs. These zones with elevated Vp/Vs are likely due to elevated pore fluid pressures, although layers of high sand content intercalated within a more clayey sedimentary sequence, and/or a higher content of coarser‐grained clay minerals relative to finer‐grained smectite could be contributing factors. We find that the proto‐décollement offshore central Oregon develops within the incoming sediments at a low‐permeability boundary that traps fluids in a stratigraphic level where fluid overpressure exceeds 50% of the differential pressure between the hydrostatic pressure and the lithostatic pressure. Incoming sediments with the highest estimated fluid overpressures occur offshore central Oregon where deformation of the accretionary prism is seaward vergent. Conversely, landward vergence offshore northern Oregon and Washington correlates with more moderate pore pressures and laterally homogeneous Vp/Vs functions of Cascadia Basin sediments.

Rupture Characteristics and Bedrock Structural Control of the 2016 Mw 6.0 Intraplate Earthquake in the Petermann Ranges, Australia

ABSTRACT The 20 May 2016 surface-rupturing intraplate earthquake in the Petermann Ranges is the largest onshore earthquake to occur in the Australian continent in 19 yr. We use in situ and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar surface observations, aftershock distribution, and the fitting of P-wave source spectra to determine source properties of the Petermann earthquake. Surface observations reveal a 21-km-long surface rupture trace (strike=294°±29°) with heterogeneous vertical displacements (<0.1–0.96 m). Aftershock arrays suggest a triangular-shaped rupture plane (dip ≈ 30°) that intersects the subsurface projection of the major geophysical structure (Woodroffe thrust [WT]) proximal to the preferred location of the mainshock hypocenter, suggesting the mainshock nucleated at a fault junction. Footwall seismicity includes apparent southwest-dipping Riedel-type alignments, including possible activation of the deep segment of the WT. We estimate a moment magnitude (Mw) of 6.0 and a corner frequency (fc) of 0.2 Hz, respectively, from spectral fitting of source spectra in the 0.02–2 Hz frequency band. These translate into a fault area of 124 km2 and an average slip of 0.36 m. The estimated stress drop of 2.2 MPa is low for an intraplate earthquake; we attribute this to low-frictional slip (effective coefficient of friction >0.015) along rupture-parallel phyllosilicate-rich surfaces within the host rock fabric with possible additional contributions from elevated pore-fluid pressures.

Activation of optimally and unfavourably oriented faults in a uniform local stress field during the 2011 Prague, Oklahoma, sequence

SUMMARYThe orientations of faults activated relative to the local principal stress directions can provide insights into the role of pore pressure changes in induced earthquake sequences. Here, we examine the 2011 M 5.7 Prague earthquake sequence that was induced by nearby wastewater disposal. We estimate the local principal compressive stress direction near the rupture as inferred from shear wave splitting measurements at spatial resolutions as small as 750 m. We find that the dominant azimuth observed is parallel to previous estimates of the regional compressive stress with some secondary azimuths oriented subparallel to the strike of the major fault structures. From an extended catalogue, we map ten distinct fault segments activated during the sequence that exhibit a wide array of orientations. We assess whether the five near-vertical fault planes are optimally oriented to fail in the determined stress field. We find that only two of the fault planes, including the M 5.7 main shock fault, are optimally oriented. Both the M 4.8 foreshock and M 4.8 aftershock occur on fault planes that deviate 20–29° from the optimal orientation for slip. Our results confirm that induced event sequences can occur on faults not optimally oriented for failure in the local stress field. The results suggest elevated pore fluid pressures likely induced failure along several of the faults activated in the 2011 Prague sequence.

Inferring pyroclastic density current flow conditions using syn-depositional sedimentary structures

The processes occurring in the basal region of concentrated pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) influence the mobility, runout distance, and damage potential of a current, but directly observing these processes is extremely difficult. Instead, we must investigate the deposits to glean information regarding the conditions of sediment transport and deposition. The PDC deposits of the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens (WA, USA) contain sedimentary structures consisting of bed material reworked into undulose structures and recumbent flame structures. The structures vary over two orders of magnitude in size with lengths ranging from 8 cm to 18 m and heights ranging from 4 cm to 1.8 m. Despite the large range in sizes, the structures remain self-similar in form, suggesting a common mechanism for formation. The structures are interpreted as the record of granular shear instabilities, similar to Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, formed at the interface between a shearing, high-concentration flow and the substrate in the moments just prior to deposition. The morphology of the structures suggests that the basal region of PDCs must be both highly concentrated and also highly mobile in the moments before final deposition, likely a result of elevated pore fluid pressures. We use a modified instability growth criterion to estimate PDC flow velocities at the time of formation; for the Mount St. Helens PDCs, the velocity estimates range from 0.2 to 7.5 m s−1 with larger structures requiring higher flow velocities. Combining the velocity estimates with the dimensions of the structures suggests deposition rates of 4 to 32 cm s−1. Such high deposition rates indicate that the deposits likely accumulated in a stepwise manner, rather than either progressively or en masse. The structures suggest that sections of the deposit accumulated during punctuated periods of high deposition lasting at most a few seconds followed by periods of bypassing (i.e., non-deposition) or erosion lasting minutes to tens of minutes. Our findings motivate continued experimental and numerical work to understand how the formation of recumbent flame (and similar) structures affects subsequent flow behavior in terms of runout distance and hazard potential.

Hydraulic and Mechanical Responses of Porous Sandstone During Pore Pressure-Induced Reactivation of Fracture Planes: An Experimental Study

Herein, we subjected Kimachi sandstone samples to several experimental tests to identify the hydraulic and mechanical responses associated with fracture plane reactivation induced by elevated pore-fluid pressure. In particular, fracture plane reactivation was achieved through a series of pore pressure increments under stress conditions controlled using a true triaxial test apparatus. A hydraulic line equipped in the direction of the intermediate principal stress allowed direct measurement of each specimen’s permeability in the direction nearly parallel to the pre-generated fault plane. Flow pump tests were performed to measure the permeability evolution. Two Kimachi sandstone samples were used to test different confinement conditions, and the measured hydraulic and mechanical responses (stress, displacement, and permeability) exhibited instantaneous changes at elevated pore pressures. Irreversible and anisotropic displacement measurements indicated fracture reactivation. Micro-focused X-ray computed tomography imaging and photomicrography were used to characterize internal fracture configurations and revealed the formation of cataclastic fracture surfaces that contributed to permeability reduction during pore pressure tests.

Slow episodic movement driven by elevated pore-fluid pressures in shallow subaqueous slopes

Subaqueous slopes are susceptible to a broad range of failure mechanisms and deformation styles, many of which are not well characterised. We undertook novel laboratory-based testing using a Dynamic Back-Pressured Shearbox on samples collected from an area subject to ongoing slope failures, situated on the upper slope of New Zealand's Hikurangi Margin, to determine how increases in pore water and gas pressures generate shallow mass movement. Using both water and nitrogen gas we observed similar responses in both cases, indicating that behaviour is dominated by the normal effective stress state regardless of pore-fluid phase. Shear-strain accumulation, representing landslide movement, shows a slow episodic pattern, in common with many shallow terrestrial landslides. Our results are relevant for landslides occurring in shallow near surface sedimentary sequences but have implications for deep-seated landslide behaviour. They suggest that once movement initiates at a critical effective stress, its rate is regulated through dilation and pore expansion within the shear zone, temporarily increasing effective stress within a narrow shear band and suppressing rapid shear. Consequently, under certain conditions, shallow submarine landslides (e.g. spreading failures) can undergo slow episodic movement which allows them to accumulate large shear strains without accelerating to catastrophic movement even when they are unconstrained.