Sandbox rheometry: Co-evolution of stress and strain in Riedel– and Critical Wedge–experiments

Ritter, Malte C.; Santimano, Tasca; Rosenau, Matthias; Leever, Karen; Oncken, Onno

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2017.11.018

Cited by 29 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Although dry sand has many benefits as an analog for modeling crustal processes (e.g., strain-rate independence, well-constrained properties, and ease of use; Ritter et al, 2016Ritter et al, , 2018Schreurs et al, 2016;Reber et al, 2020), its low cohesion compared to wet kaolin favors the growth of new faults over fault reactivation (e.g., Eisenstadt and Sims, 2005;Cooke et al, 2013). The properties of wet kaolin that produce long-lived faults are particularly important for modeling the evolution of fault systems; the abandonment and reactivation of individual fault segments in scaled physical experiments approximate the fault evolution in the crust (e.g., Clifton et al, 2000;Ackermann et al, 2001;Schlische et al, 2002;Eisenstadt and Sims, 2005;Henza et al, 2010;e.g., Hatem et al, 2015e.g., Hatem et al, , 2017Bonini et al, 2016;Bonanno et al, 2017;Toeneboehn et al, 2018).…”

Section: Properties Of Wet Kaolinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Onset of slip partitioning under oblique convergence within scaled physical experiments

2020

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Oblique convergent margins host slip-partitioned faults with simultaneously active strike-slip and reverse faults. Such systems defy energetic considerations that a single oblique-slip fault accommodates deformation more efficiently than multiple faults. To investigate the development of slip partitioning, we record deformation throughout scaled experiments of wet kaolin over a low-convergence (<30°), obliquely slipping basal dislocation. The presence of a precut vertical weakness in the wet kaolin impacts the morphology of faults but is not required for slip partitioning. The experiments reveal three styles of slip partitioning development delineated by the order of faulting and the extent of slip partitioning. Low-convergence angle experiments (5°) produce strike-slip faults prior to reverse faults. In moderate-convergence experiments (10°–25°), the reverse fault forms prior to the strike-slip fault. Strike-slip faults develop either along existing weaknesses (precut or previous reverse-slip faults) or through the coalescence of new echelon cracks. The third style of local slip partitioning along two simultaneously active dipping faults is transient while global slip partitioning persists. The development of two active fault surfaces arises from changes in off-fault strain pattern after development of the first fault. With early strike-slip faults, off-fault contraction accumulates to produce a new reverse fault. Systems with early lobate reverse faults accommodate limited strike-slip and produce extension in the hanging wall, thereby promoting strike-slip faulting. The observation of persistent slip partitioning under a wide range of experimental conditions demonstrates why such systems are frequently observed in oblique convergence crustal margins around the world.

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Section: Properties Of Wet Kaolinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Onset of slip partitioning under oblique convergence within scaled physical experiments

2020

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“…The strike‐slip shear box is a custom built apparatus that is based on the deformation rig introduced in Ritter, Santimano et al (). It essentially consists of a sand pack, one part of which is pushed forward by a combination of an indenter and a moving sidewall, while the other part is held in place by a stationary backwall and sidewall (Figure ).…”

Section: Experimental Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growing Faults in the Lab: Insights Into the Scale Dependence of the Fault Zone Evolution Process

2018

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Analog sandbox experiments are a widely used method to investigate tectonic processes that cannot be resolved from natural data alone, such as strain localization and the formation of fault zones. Despite this, it is still unclear to which extent the dynamics of strain localization and fault zone formation seen in sandbox experiments can be extrapolated to a natural prototype. Of paramount importance for dynamic similarity is the proper scaling of the work required to create the fault system, Wprop. Using analog sandbox experiments of strike‐slip deformation, we show Wprop to scale approximately with the square of the fault system length, l, which is consistent with the theory of fault growth in nature. Through quantitative measurements of both Wprop and strain distribution we are able to show that Wprop is mainly spent on diffuse deformation prior to localization, which we therefore regard as analogous to distributed deformation on small‐scale faults below seismic resolution in natural fault networks. Finally, we compare our data to estimates of the work consumed by natural fault zones to verify that analog sandbox experiments scale properly with respect to energy, that is, that they scale truly dynamically.

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“…In our scenarios, the segmentation of strike-slip faults is determined early on, in fact as soon as the Riedels appear. Since they are the first structures to appear, at this point there is no strength contrast in the material, indeed it has been shown by Tchalenko 1970 andRitter et al 2018 that the Riedels form when the shear stress reaches the static friction, the latter decreases only once the S shears are formed. Moreover, the Riedels accommodate little slip and are not mature, so the sliding friction does not matter in this case.…”

Section: Mechanical Implications Of Our Results For the Riedel Formatmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…This highlights that in the sandbox the structures propagate upward and that the deformation is essentially of the "mode III" type, which is partly due to the setup, where we impose a strong kinematic boundary with the localized basal dislocation (e.g. Hatem et al 2017, Ritter et al 2018. The presence of a zone of distributed deformation at the base of the model will enlarge the structures (e.g.…”

Section: Mechanical Implications Of Our Results For the Riedel Formatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supplemental Material: Experimental evidence for crustal control over seismic fault segmentation

Lefèvre¹

2020

Preprint

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Sandbox rheometry: Co-evolution of stress and strain in Riedel– and Critical Wedge–experiments

Cited by 29 publications

References 20 publications

Onset of slip partitioning under oblique convergence within scaled physical experiments

Onset of slip partitioning under oblique convergence within scaled physical experiments

Growing Faults in the Lab: Insights Into the Scale Dependence of the Fault Zone Evolution Process

Supplemental Material: Experimental evidence for crustal control over seismic fault segmentation

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