Composite damage zones in the subsurface

Zonghu Liao*, Wei Li, Huayao Zou, Fang Hao, Kurt J. Marfurt, Ze'Ev Reches

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

The cumulative displacement by multiple slip events along faults may generate composite damage zones (CDZ) of increasing width, and could modify the hydraulic and mechanical properties of the faults. The internal architecture and fracture distribution within CDZs at the subsurface are analysed here by using seismic attributes of variance, curvature and dip-azimuth of the 3-D seismic reflection data from tight sandstone reservoirs in northeast Sichuan, China. The analysed faults intersect the reservoir within a depth range of 2.4-3.0 km. The damage intensity mapping revealed multiple CDZs with thicknesses approaching 1 km along faults ranging 3-15 km in length, and up to 1000 m of cumulative slip. The identification of numerous fault cores and associate damage zones led us to define three classes of CDZs: banded shape, box shape and dome shape. The mechanical strength contrasts and distortion of fault cores suggest potential weakening and strengthening (healing) mechanisms for formation of CDZs that can be extended to faulting processes and earthquake simulations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)225-230
Number of pages6
JournalGeophysical Journal International
Volume222
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 31 Mar 2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society.

Keywords

  • Asia
  • Computational seismology
  • Dynamics and mechanics of faulting

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Composite damage zones in the subsurface'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this