Abstract. Exhumed basement rocks are often dissected by faults, the latter controlling physical parameters such as rock strength, porosity, or permeability. Knowledge on the threedimensional (3-D) geometry of the fault pattern and its continuation with depth is therefore of paramount importance for applied geology projects (e.g. tunnelling, nuclear waste disposal) in crystalline bedrock. The central Aar massif (Central Switzerland) serves as a study area where we investigate the 3-D geometry of the Alpine fault pattern by means of both surface (fieldwork and remote sensing) and underground ground (mapping of the Grimsel Test Site) information. The fault zone pattern consists of planar steep major faults (kilometre scale) interconnected with secondary relay faults (hectometre scale). Starting with surface data, we present a workflow for structural 3-D modelling of the primary faults based on a comparison of three extrapolation approaches based on (a) field data, (b) Delaunay triangulation, and (c) a best-fitting moment of inertia analysis. The quality of these surface-data-based 3-D models is then tested with respect to the fit of the predictions with the underground appearance of faults. All three extrapolation approaches result in a close fit ( > 10 %) when compared with underground rock laboratory mapping. Subsequently, we performed a statistical interpolation based on Bayesian inference in order to validate and further constrain the uncertainty of the extrapolation approaches. This comparison indicates that fieldwork at the surface is key for accurately constraining the geometry of the fault pattern and enabling a proper extrapolation of major faults towards depth. Considerable uncertainties, however, persist with respect to smaller-sized secondary structures because of their limited spatial extensions and unknown reoccurrence intervals.
Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. R. Schneeberger et al.: 3-D structural modelling in crystalline rocks J 0 1 J 0 2 J 0 3 J 0 6 J 0 7 J 0 8
The Middle-Jurassic Opalinus Clay is the foreseen host rock for radioactive waste disposal in central northern Switzerland. An extensive drilling campaign aiming to characterize the argillaceous formation resulted in a comprehensive drill core data set. The rheologically weak Opalinus Clay is only mildly deformed compared to the over- and underlying rock units but shows a variety of natural fractures. While these structures are hydraulically indistinguishable from macroscopically non-deformed Opalinus Clay today, their analysis allows for a better understanding of the deformation behaviour in the geological past. Here, we present an overview of the different fracture and fault types recorded in the Opalinus Clay and a detailed microstructural characterization of veins—natural dilational fractures healed by secondary calcite and celestite mineralizations. Macroscopic drill core analysis revealed five different natural fracture types that encompass tension gashes of various orientations with respect to bedding and small-scale faults with displacements typically not exceeding the drill core diameter. The occurrence of different fault types generally fits well with the local tectonic setting of the different drilling sites and with respect to the neighbouring regional fault zones. The microstructural investigations of the various vein types revealed their often polyphase character. Fibrous bedding-parallel veins of presumable early age were found to be overprinted by secondary slickenfibres. The polyphase nature of fibrous bedding parallel veins and slickenfibres is supported by differing elemental compositions, pointing towards repeated fracturing and mineralization events. Direct dating of vein calcites with U–Pb was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, age constraints can be inferred from structural orientations and fault slip kinematics. Accordingly, some of the veins already formed during sediment compaction in Mesozoic times, others possibly relate to Early Cenozoic foreland uplift. The youngest veins are most likely related to Late Cenozoic regional tectonic events, such as the Jura fold-and-thrust belt to the south and the Hegau-Lake Constance Graben to the northeast of the study area. During these latest tectonic events, previously formed veins acted as rheologically stiff discontinuities in the otherwise comparably weak Opalinus Clay along which deformation of the rock formation was re-localized.
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