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David A. Lockner

Publications and source records attributed to David A. Lockner.

66 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
USGS2010

Anomalously low strength of serpentinite sheared against granite and implications for creep on the Hayward and Calaveras Faults

Serpentinized ophiolitic rocks are juxtaposed against quartzofeldspathic rocks at depth across considerable portions of the Hayward and Calaveras Faults. The marked compositional contrast between these rock types may contribute to fault creep that has been observed along these faults. To investigate this possibility, we are conducting hydrothermal shearing experiments to look for changes in frictional properties resulting from the shear of ultramafic rock juxtaposed against quartzose rock units. In this paper we report the first results in this effort: shear of bare-rock surfaces of serpentinite and granite, and shear of antigorite-serpentinite gouge between forcing blocks of granitic rock. All experiments were conducted at 250°C. Serpentinite sheared against granite at 50 MPa pore-fluid pressure is weaker than either rock type separately, and the weakening is significantly more pronounced at lower shearing rates. In contrast, serpentinite gouge sheared dry between granite blocks is as strong as the bare granite surface. We propose that the weakening is the result of a solution-transfer process involving the dissolution of serpentine minerals at grain-to-grain contacts. Dissolution of serpentine is enhanced by modifications to pore-fluid chemistry caused by interaction of the fluid with the quartz-bearing rocks. The compositional differences between serpentinized ultramafic rocks of the Coast Range Ophiolite and quartzofeldspathic rock units such as those of the Franciscan Complex may provide the mechanism for aseismic slip (creep) in the shallow crust along the Hayward, Calaveras, and other creeping faults in central and northern California.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2009

Constraints on the stress state of the San Andreas fault with analysis based on core and cuttings from SAFOD drilling phases 1 and 2

Analysis of field data has led different investigators to conclude that the San Andreas Fault (SAF) has either anomalously low frictional sliding strength ( μ < 0.2) or strength consistent with standard laboratory tests ( μ > 0.6). Arguments for the apparent weakness of the SAF generally hinge on conceptual models involving intrinsically weak gouge or elevated pore pressure within the fault zone. Some models assert that weak gouge and/or high pore pressure exist under static conditions while others consider strength loss or fluid pressure increase due to rapid coseismic fault slip. The present paper is composed of three parts. First, we develop generalized equations, based on and consistent with the Rice (1992) fault zone model to relate stress orientation and magnitude to depth‐dependent coefficient of friction and pore pressure. Second, we present temperature‐ and pressure‐dependent friction measurements from wet illite‐rich fault gouge extracted from San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) phase 1 core samples and from weak minerals associated with the San Andreas Fault. Third, we reevaluate the state of stress on the San Andreas Fault in light of new constraints imposed by SAFOD borehole data. Pure talc ( μ ≈0.1) had the lowest strength considered and was sufficiently weak to satisfy weak fault heat flow and stress orientation constraints with hydrostatic pore pressure. Other fault gouges showed a systematic increase in strength with increasing temperature and pressure. In this case, heat flow and stress orientation constraints would require elevated pore pressure and, in some cases, fault zone pore pressure in excess of vertical stress.

California↗
USGS2009

Geometry of the Nojima fault at Nojima-Hirabayashi, Japan - I. A simple damage structure inferred from borehole core permeability

The 1995 Kobe (Hyogo-ken Nanbu) earthquake, M = 7.2, ruptured the Nojima fault in southwest Japan. We have studied core samples taken from two scientific drillholes that crossed the fault zone SW of the epicentral region on Awaji Island. The shallower hole, drilled by the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ), was started 75 m to the SE of the surface trace of the Nojima fault and crossed the fault at a depth of 624 m. A deeper hole, drilled by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) was started 302 m to the SE of the fault and crossed fault strands below a depth of 1140 m. We have measured strength and matrix permeability of core samples taken from these two drillholes. We find a strong correlation between permeability and proximity to the fault zone shear axes. The half-width of the high permeability zone (approximately 15 to 25 m) is in good agreement with the fault zone width inferred from trapped seismic wave analysis and other evidence. The fault zone core or shear axis contains clays with permeabilities of approximately 0.1 to 1 microdarcy at 50 MPa effective confining pressure (10 to 30 microdarcy at in situ pressures). Within a few meters of the fault zone core, the rock is highly fractured but has sustained little net shear. Matrix permeability of this zone is approximately 30 to 60 microdarcy at 50 MPa effective confining pressure (300 to 1000 microdarcy at in situ pressures). Outside this damage zone, matrix permeability drops below 0.01 microdarcy. The clay-rich core material has the lowest strength with a coefficient of friction of approximately 0.55. Shear strength increases with distance from the shear axis. These permeability and strength observations reveal a simple fault zone structure with a relatively weak fine-grained core surrounded by a damage zone of fractured rock. In this case, the damage zone will act as a high-permeability conduit for vertical and horizontal flow in the plane of the fault. The fine-grained core region, however, will impede fluid flow across the fault.

Pure and Applied Geophysics↗
USGS2009

Premonitory acoustic emissions and stick-slip in natural and smooth-faulted Westerly granite

A stick-slip event was induced in a cylindrical sample of Westerly granite containing a preexisting natural fault by loading at constant confining pressure of 150 MPa. Continuously recorded acoustic emission (AE) data and computer tomography (CT)-generated images of the fault plane were combined to provide a detailed examination of microscale processes operating on the fault. The dynamic stick-slip event, considered to be a laboratory analog of an earthquake, generated an ultrasonic signal that was recorded as a large-amplitude AE event. First arrivals of this event were inverted to determine the nucleation site of slip, which is associated with a geometric asperity on the fault surface. CT images and AE locations suggest that a variety of asperities existed in the sample because of the intersection of branch or splay faults with the main fault. This experiment is compared with a stick-slip experiment on a sample prepared with a smooth, artificial saw-cut fault surface. Nearly a thousand times more AE were observed for the natural fault, which has a higher friction coefficient (0.78 compared to 0.53) and larger shear stress drop (140 compared to 68 MPa). However at the measured resolution, the ultrasonic signal emitted during slip initiation does not vary significantly between the two experiments, suggesting a similar dynamic rupture process. We propose that the natural faulted sample under triaxial compression provides a good laboratory analogue for a field-scale fault system in terms of the presence of asperities, fault surface heterogeneity, and interaction of branching faults. ?? 2009.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗
USGS2008

Talc friction in the temperature range 25°–400 °C: relevance for fault-zone weakening

Talc is one of the weakest minerals that is associated with fault zones. Triaxial friction experiments conducted on water-saturated talc gouge at room temperature yield values of the coefficient of friction, &mu; (shear stress, &tau; /effective normal stress, &sigma;&prime; N ) in the range 0.16&ndash;0.23, and &mu; increases with increasing &sigma;&prime; N . Talc gouge heated to temperatures of 100&deg;&ndash;400 &deg;C is consistently weaker than at room temperature, and &mu; < 0.1 at slow strain rates in some heated experiments. Talc also is characterized by inherently stable, velocity-strengthening behavior (strength increases with increasing shear rate) at all conditions tested. The low strength of talc is a consequence of its layered crystal structure and, in particular, its very weak interlayer bond. Its hydrophobic character may be responsible for the relatively small increase in &mu; with increasing &sigma;&prime; N at room temperature compared to other sheet silicates. Talc has a temperature&ndash;pressure range of stability that extends from surficial to eclogite-facies conditions, making it of potential significance in a variety of faulting environments. Talc has been identified in exhumed subduction zone thrusts, in fault gouge collected from oceanic transform and detachment faults associated with rift systems, and recently in serpentinite from the central creeping section of the San Andreas fault. Typically, talc crystallized in the active fault zones as a result of the reaction of ultramafic rocks with silica-saturated hydrothermal fluids. This mode of formation of talc is a prime example of a fault-zone weakening process. Because of its velocity-strengthening behavior, talc may play a role in stabilizing slip at depth in subduction zones and in the creeping faults of central and northern California that are associated with ophiolitic rocks.

California↗
USGS2004

A viscoelastic damage model with applications to stable and unstable fracturing

A viscoelastic damage rheology model is presented that provides a generalization of Maxwell viscoelasticity to a non-linear continuum mechanics framework incorporating material degradation and recovery, transition from stable to unstable fracturing and gradual accumulation of non-reversible deformation. The model is a further development of the damage rheology framework of Lyakhovsky et al. for evolving effective elasticity. The framework provides a quantitative treatment for macroscopic effects of evolving distributed cracking with local density represented by an intensive state variable. The formulation, based on thermodynamic principles, leads to a system of kinetic equations for the evolution of damage. An effective viscosity inversely proportional to the rate of damage increase is introduced to account for gradual accumulation of irreversible deformation due to dissipative processes. A power-law relation between the damage variable and elastic moduli leads to a non-linear coupling between the rate of damage evolution and the damage variable itself. This allows the model to reproduce a transition from stable to unstable fracturing of brittle rocks and the Kaiser effect. 3-D numerical simulations based on the model formulation for homogeneous and heterogeneous materials account for the main features of rock behaviour under large strain. The model coefficients are constrained, using triaxial laboratory experiments with low-porosity Westerly granite and high-porosity Berea sandstone samples.

Geophysical Journal International↗
USGS2002

32 - Rock failure and earthquakes

This chapter summarizes experimental observations and related theoretical developments of faulted and intact rock properties related to earthquake nucleation, failure and dynamic slip. We will be concerned primarily with earthquakes occurring in the brittle crust. Intermediate and deep-focus earthquakes have unique mechanical considerations that are discussed in Section 7 . We focus on repeatable laboratory observations and their direct implications for fault strength and stability. Important results that may be new, incomplete or controversial have also been included. To distinguish the well-established findings from others, the latter appear in “new and provisional results” sections.

International Geophysics↗
USGS2001

How brucite may affect the frictional properties of serpentinite

The frictional strength of brucite gouge has been measured at hydrothermal conditions to 450°C. At room temperature, brucite has a coefficient of friction, μ ≈ 0.30, making it one of the weakest minerals identified to date. With increasing temperature at a constant effective normal stress, the coefficient of friction of brucite decreases to a minimum of μ ≈ 0.20 near 300°C, and μ ≈ 0.22–0.24 in the temperature range 350–450°C. Brucite has a sheeted crystal structure, and its low frictional strength may be attributed to the relatively weak bonds between the layers. In addition, the temperature dependence of μ to ≈300°C can be explained in terms of the anomalously large coefficient of thermal expansion of brucite, which will further weaken the interlayer bonds. Brucite is a common constituent of serpentinite, and at ≈300°C, where brucite is weakest, all the major serpentine minerals have μ ≥ 0.5. The maximum expected brucite content of a serpentinite is close to 20% by weight or volume. That amount of disseminated brucite will lower the coefficient of friction of serpentinite by ≤10–15% in the deeper parts of the seismogenic zone. However, the effect will be much greater if shear can be concentrated along brucite-lined slip surfaces in the serpentinite body.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1992

Fault growth and acoustic emissions in confined granite

The failure process in a brittle granite was studied by using acoustic emission techniques to obtain three dimensional locations of the microfracturing events. During a creep experiment the nucleation of faulting coincided with the onset of tertiary creep, but the development of the fault could not be followed because the failure occurred catastrophically. A technique has been developed that enables the failure process to be stabilized by controlling the axial stress to maintain a constant acoustic emission rate. As a result the post-failure stress-strain curve has been followed quasi-statically, extending to hours the fault growth process that normally would occur violently in a fraction of a second. The results from the rate-controlled experiments show that the fault plane nucleated at a point on the sample surface after the stress-strain curve reached its peak. Before nucleation, the microcrack growth was distributed throughout the sample. The fault plane then grew outward from the nucleation site and was accompanied by a gradual drop in stress. Acoustic emission locations showed that the fault propagated as a fracture front (process zone) with dimensions of 1 to 3 cm. As the fracture front passed by a given fixed point on the fault plane, the subsequent acoustic emission would drop. When growth was allowed to progress until the fault bisected the sample, the stress dropped to the frictional strength. These observations are in accord with the behavior predicted by Rudnicki and Rice's bifurcation analysis but conflict with experiments used to infer that shear localization would occur in brittle rock while the material is still hardening.

Applied Mechanics Reviews↗
USGS1992

Observations of quasistatic fault growth from acoustic emissions

The location of acoustic emission (AE) sources during deformation of rock has proven to be a useful non-destructive analytic technique. We present experimental results,based on AE observations, that show the nucleation and growth of macroscopic fault planes in granite and sandstone samples. By controlling axial stress to maintain constant AE rate rather than more conventional loading conditions such as constant strain rate or constant stress, we have been successful in retarding the failure process in triaxial experiments. As a result, the post-failure stress curve has been followed quasistatically, extending to minutes or hours the fault growth process that normally would occur violently in a fraction of a second. In addition to this novel control system, three-dimensional locations of AE events were determined by analyzing the relative arrival times of AE pulses recorded on a network of transducers attached to the sample. In this manner, as many as 40 000 AE events were located in the course of a single experiment. While the details of fault formation varied from experiment to experiment, a number of features were consistently observed. In all three granite experiments, the fault plane nucleated abruptly at a point on the sample surface soon after reaching peak stress. Prior to fault nucleation, microcrack growth was distributed evenly throughout the granite samples. From the nucleation site, the fault plane grew across the sample, accompanied by a gradual drop in axial stress. AE locations showed that the fault propagated as a fracture front (process zone) with in-plane dimension of 10-50 mm. As the fracture front passed, the AE from a given region would drop to a low level. If allowed to progress to completion, stress eventually dropped to the frictional sliding strength. Sandstone samples showed somewhat different response. In these experiments, a diffuse damage zone appeared prior to peak strength and gradually localized into an incipient fault plane. After passing through peak stress, this plane grew, as in the granite samples, to eventually bisect the sample.

International Geophysics↗
USGS1992

Microcrack interaction leading to shear fracture

In this paper we draw upon recent laboratory results concerning the nucleation and growth of shear fractures in brittle rock. In homogeneous, crystalline rock such as granite, fault nucleation occurs rapidly and with only subtle changes in precursory microcrack patterns. Once nucleated, the fault grows rapidly, restricting microcrack damage to a small region near the advancing fracture front. Observations of acoustic emission locations during fault nucleation and growth combined with determinations of microcrack densities in the fractured samples have led to a conceptual model in which brittle fracture is controlled by microcrack interactions.

Conference Paper↗