Geology topics

Yan Lavallee

Publications and source records attributed to Yan Lavallee.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2023

Damage amplification during repetitive seismic waves in mechanically loaded rocks

Cycles of stress build-up and release are inherent to tectonically active planets. Such stress oscillations impart strain and damage, prompting mechanically loaded rocks and materials to fail. Here, we investigate, under uniaxial conditions, damage accumulation and weakening caused by time-dependent creep (at 60, 65, and 70% of the rocks’ expected failure stress) and repeating stress oscillations (of ± 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5% of the creep load), simulating earthquakes at a shaking frequency of ~ 1.3 Hz in volcanic rocks. The results show that stress oscillations impart more damage than constant loads, occasionally prompting sample failure. The magnitudes of the creep stresses and stress oscillations correlate with the mechanical responses of our porphyritic andesites, implicating progressive microcracking as the cause of permanent inelastic strain. Microstructural investigation reveals longer fractures and higher fracture density in the post-experimental rock. We deconvolve the inelastic strain signal caused by creep deformation to quantify the amount of damage imparted by each individual oscillation event, showing that the magnitude of strain is generally largest with the first few oscillations; in instances where pre-existing damage and/or the oscillations’ amplitude favour the coalescence of micro-cracks towards system scale failure, the strain signal recorded shows a sharp increase as the number of oscillations increases, regardless of the creep condition. We conclude that repetitive stress oscillations during earthquakes can amplify the amount of damage in otherwise mechanically loaded materials, thus accentuating their weakening, a process that may affect natural or engineered structures. We specifically discuss volcanic scenarios without wholesale failure, where stress oscillations may generate damage, which could, for example, alter pore fluid pathways, modify stress distribution and affect future vulnerability to rupture and associated hazards.

Scientific Reports↗

USGS2023

Laboratory simulation of earthquake-induced damage in lava dome rocks

Earthquakes can impart varying degrees of damage and permanent, inelastic strain on materials, potentially resulting in ruptures that may promote hazards such as landslides and other collapse events. However, the accumulation of damage in rocks under the frequency and amplitude of shaking experienced during earthquake events is rarely systematically measured due to technical limitations. Here, we characterize damage evolution during laboratory experiments on a suite of dacitic rocks from Unzen volcano, Japan, to help resolve accumulated damage and landslide susceptibility of lava domes during regional earthquake events. Damage was imparted during slow (time-dependent creep) and fast (stress-oscillation earthquake simulations) uniaxial loading in compression and tension. Damage evolution is approximated from strain during experiments; all samples accumulate strain during earthquake events, but microfracture-dominated samples tend to be more susceptible to damage than vesicle-dominated samples. The orientation of existing fabrics with respect to loading direction dictates the magnitude of strain accumulation under load oscillations. During each “earthquake” experiment of multiple dynamic stress-oscillations, samples accumulate inelastic strain. The strain imparted during each successive event is initially high and then reduces after 5-7 events, except when stressing results in failure. The strain rate during phases of intermittent stressing tends to be higher than prior to them. Understanding the accumulation of damage and the potential for brittle failure of rocks subjected to earthquakes can help define the origin and timing of certain landslides, rockfalls, lava dome collapses, and other failure events.

Mt. Unzen↗

USGS2014

Seismic evidence for a crustal magma reservoir beneath the upper east rift zone of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

An anomalous body with low Vp (compressional wave velocity), low Vs (shear wave velocity), and high Vp/Vs anomalies is observed at 8–11 km depth beneath the upper east rift zone of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii by simultaneous inversion of seismic velocity structure and earthquake locations. We interpret this body to be a crustal magma reservoir beneath the volcanic pile, similar to those widely recognized beneath mid-ocean ridge volcanoes. Combined seismic velocity and petrophysical models suggest the presence of 10% melt in a cumulate magma mush. This reservoir could have supplied the magma that intruded into the deep section of the east rift zone and caused its rapid expansion following the 1975 M7.2 Kalapana earthquake.

Hawaii↗