Physical Properties ofEarth MaterialsNewsletter

October, 1996

A Note from theChair

Andreas KronenbergTexas A&M UniversityUp to now, the PPEM

community has shown remark-ably good judgement and chosensome really outstanding Chairsto the steering committee. Yet,after the legacies left by SteveKirby, Dave Kohlstedt, andBrian Evans, I find myselfleaning against the armrest ofThe Chair, wondering what everhappened to this group's senses.During my tenure as Chair,though, I will resist the urge toquote or paraphrase WoodyAllen and I will resist the urgeto change the name of ourgroup, even though it is onlyconvenient to write when ex-pressed by its first letters. Nowfor the Good News: Shun-ichiroKarato has accepted the Chairof the broader Mineral and RockPhysics Committee, to whichwe belong, so I do not think thatwe will falter too badly for lackof leadership. I certainly lookforward to working with Shunand building upon our ties withthe greater Mineral and RockPhysics community.

We will benefit from anoutstanding steering committeethis year which consists of MikeBlanpied, U.S.G.S., Menlo Park;Fred Chester, St. Louis Univ.;Harry Green, U.C., Riverside;Greg Hirth, W.H.O.I.; DaveHolcombe, Sandia NationalLab; Dave Lockner, U.S.G.S.,Menlo Park; Randy Martin,

New England Research; RickSchultz, Univ. Nevada, Reno;and Janos Urai, now at theUniversity in Aachen, Germany.Each year, though, three mem-bers of the steering committeerotate off and we need toidentify three new recruits. Thisis the third and final year forFred Chester, Harry Green, andDave Lockner. Any interestedAGU member can nominate anindividual to serve on the com-mittee, and you are invited tosuggest names to any currentcommittee member. The newcommittee members will bechosen at the steering commit-tee meeting held on the Satur-day before this coming FallAGU Meeting.

Several interesting conferen-ces were held this year to whichPPEM members contributed,which examined the develop-ment of shear zones, effects offluids, and deformation mecha-nisms in nature and in the lab,and a larger number of newconferences are currently beingplanned and organized. Many ofthis year's conferences aresummarized in this newsletteralong with topical articles, and Iwould like to draw yourattention to the announcementsof several promising, upcomingmeetings and research initia-tives. In particular, the up-coming Gordon Conference ondeformation and mineral reac-tion to be held this summershould be of interest to a verylarge number of us. Harry Greenand Brian Evans have done an(Continued page 2, column 1)

Annual PPEMDinner Meeting Fal l  A .G.U.  

Please plan to attend the annualbanquet and meeting of thePPEM on Monday, December16. This year our annualized hopthrough the cuisines of SanFrancisco takes us to CafféDelle Stelle, an outstandingItalian Bistro serving deliciousand original combinations offresh pastas, vegetables andmeats. In previous years we(Continued page 15, column 1)

InsideMRP Committee Report -2-MRP Reception at AGU -2-

PPEM Bibliography -5-

Update on ARMA -3-

Conference Reports -6-Book Announcements -7-

Meeting Announcements -8-

Lab Report: Shell Lab -5-

Carrara Marble -4-Nojima Fault Drilling -11-

San Andreas DrillingProject -7-

2

Note from Chair♦ (continued from page 1)

outstanding job organizing thisconference, placing emphasis onthe fundamental processes ofdynamic metamorphism andexamining these processes in awide range of geologic con-ditions from stylolite formationduring diagenesis to partialmelting in the crust and mantle,to dehydration- and phase-transformation-induced faultingin the deep mantle. Moreover,the format of this conferenceshould lead to lots of discussionand new thought. As this is onlythe second Gordon Conferenceto concentrate on rock me-chanics, its success is veryimportant if we are to establishan ongoing series. I certainlyhope that you can attend andparticipate in lively discussion.

We have a number of goodreasons to celebrate at thiscoming AGU meeting. I inviteall of you to join me incongratulating Jan Tullis on herrecognition as an AGU Fellow.Jan's enthusiastic spirit andaccomplishments are well knowto us and it is wonderful to seeher honored by the AGU for heroutstanding and perceptive workon the deformation of crustalrocks. It will also be good tosee Bob Liebermann become aFellow of AGU, who as chair ofMineral and Rock Physics hasmade so many of us feelwelcome. The MRP Wine andCheese will be held on Sundaynight where this next year'soutstanding student award willannounced. Only HartmutSpetzler and the awardscommittee know this year'sresults at this time. However, asyou know, Nick Beeler receivedthis award last year for hiswonderful studies of velocity-dependent friction along withNobumasa Funamori for hiswork on the thermal expansionand equation of state of Mg-perovskite at lower mantle

conditions. And while no meet-ing can be scheduled to beperfect for the entire AGUmembership, we owe a lot toJim Tyburczy and Greg Hirth forrepresenting Mineral and RockPhysics and Tectonophysics,respectively, on the ProgramCommittee and for putting suchan outstanding schedule to-gether.

Finally, it is always apleasure to call your attention tothe PPEM Dinner which will beheld on Monday night at theCaffe Delle Stelle, yet anotherfind by Mike Blanpied. Severalproposals were put forward foran activity at this year's dinnerfrom an Aria sung by Lisa DellAngelo entitled "Bella Isabellain Carrara" to an interpretivestick-slip dance for bad dancers,but we have decided to keep itsimple and allow as much timeas possible for informal con-versation with your friends andfellow researchers at individualtables.

Now, on a more serious note,as I see it, the goals andpurposes of the PPEM com-mittee have changed with time(Continued page 3, column 1)

Mineral and RockPhysics

Reception at FallAGU 1996

Sunday, December 155:30 to 7:30 PM

Moscone CenterRoom 236

The Mineral and Rock PhysicsReception this year will featurelocal wines, fruit and cheese.The reception will be held from17:30-19:30 on 15 December1996 in Room 236 of theMoscone Center under thesponsorship of AGU Committeeon Mineral and Rock Physics.

Report from AGUCommittee on

Mineral and RockPhysics

Shun-ichiro KaratoUniversity of Minnesota

From the Chair of theMineral and Rock PhysicsCommittee

Following Bob Liebermannat the State University of NewYork at Stony Brook, I amserving as chair of the Mineraland Rock Physics Committee ofAGU for the term 1996-1998.The main objective of thiscommittee, as I understand it, isto facilitate the activities of thissubdivision of AGU. Tradi-tionally there have been somedifferences between our twogroups of scientists: "mineralphysicists" more or less worryabout microscopic aspects ofstructure and properties ofminerals and "rock physicists"worry about somewhat moremacroscopic processes or pro-perties such as fracture andcreep strength of rocks, and fluidpermeability. This distinctionmakes sense to some extentbecause the former is concernedwith problems at the singlecrystal level while the latterwith problems at the polycrystallevel. Another distinction, as Isee it, is that mineral physicistsmainly investigate properties ofminerals under extreme condi-tions of the earth's deep interior,and hot topics in this area areusually the properties of miner-als at high pressures, whereasrock physicists usually studyproperties of rocks at relativelyshallow earth conditions.

Although it is important andoften necessary to separateproblems in terms of thesetechnical (sub-)subdisciplines,interesting new progress mayoften occur when concepts or(Continued page 19, column 1)

3

Note from Chair♦ (continued from page 2)

and they will surely continue toevolve. All of us recognize thebenefits we have gained fromthe development of closer tieswithin our community. ThePPEM committee was originallyorganized to break down thedivisions that separated usaccording to specialty, tech-nique, and branch of the familytree of rock squeezers. To alarge extent, we have suc-ceeded. The PPEM dinnershave been wonderful in bringingus together, leading to exchangeof ideas on an informal basisand to a collegeal atmospherethat benefits us and our science.Discussion has led to ideas forspecial AGU sessions thatexplore those areas of inquirythat lie between our traditionalresearch specialties and thatexamine new applications ofphysical properties studies togeophysics. Outside of AGU,we have organized a wide rangeof meetings and sessions, andinitiated a new series of GordonConferences. Finally, the news-letter has served us well toreport on activities and meetingsboth within and outside of theAGU and to link our mem-bership throughout Pangea, nomatter what side of a rift youlanded on.

In addition to strengtheningour ties within the field of rockmechanics, we have begun todevelop a relationship with themineral physics community andwith other earth scientists takingexperimental and theoreticalapproaches to studying thephysical and chemical proper-ties of rocks and minerals.While some of our membershiphas always regarded themselvesas mineral physicists (as well asmembers of the rock mechanicscommunity), others have notshared the same researchinterests with high pressuremineral physicists focussed on

deep Earth problems. Recog-nizing that we are not allworking on the same problems, Iwould like to see us developeven closer ties to members ofthe Mineral and Rock Physicscommunity and fulfill the goalsimplicit in our broadly namedgroup, bringing in members ofAGU who investigate physicalproperties that include but arenot restricted to mechanicalproperties. The Mineral andRock Physics community hasextended an open invitation tous, which can be recognized inmany ways, including repre-sentation on the MRP Com-mittee, entrusting its leadershipto individuals who are simul-taneously members of PPEM,and through the recognition ofour students with researchawards. In order to accept thisinvitation, though, what isneeded is our active partici-pation, through contributions toinitiatives of MRP as well asthose of PPEM, and through theorganization of special sessionsand meetings that explore topicsof common interest to bothcommunities. You are invited tonominate outstanding studentsfor consideration for the MRPStudent Award, whether you aretheir advisor or not, and I hopethat many of you considermaking a contribution to theMRP student fund at the timeyou pay your AGU dues, or atany other time this year.

Finally, a very importantactivity of PPEM is to examinenew applications of our scienceto plate dynamics, structuralgeology and fault mechanics,and the physics of the deepEarth's interior. As we becomemore certain of our internal tieswithin PPEM, we may wish toplace greater emphasis onoutreach to the broader geo-physics community as well as tothe materials science andengineering communities. I(Continued page 4, column 1)

ARMA BeginsSecond Year

Peter SmeallieARMA

The American Rock MechanicsAssociation has entered itssecond year of membership withindividuals having the option tocombine their ARMA mem-bership and membership in theInternational Society for RockMechanics (ISRM). ARMA ispleased to report that 99 percentof its members are selecting"one-stop shopping" for bothARMA and ISRM.

ARMA is a membershiporganization that serves as thedirect link to the professionals,companies, firms, teachers, andstudents in the field of rockmechanics and rock engineering.In its first year, ARMA attractednearly 200 members. AmongARMA activities are:♦ RockNet, ARMA's internet

home page (http://arma.mines.edu).

♦ ARMA News, a periodicnewsletter about U.S. rockmechanics and rock engineer-ing.

♦ Educational workshops, topi-cal symposia, and co-sponsor-ship of the U.S. Rock Me-chanics Symposium, theseminal rock mechanicsmeeting in the U.S.

♦ Publications and slide shows.New York City is the site of

the 36th U.S. Rock MechanicsSymposium to be held on June29-July 2, 1997, at ColumbiaUniversity. Hosted by the HenryKrumb School of Mines atColumbia and ARMA, thetheme of the symposium is"Linking Science to RockEngineering." Complete infor-mation can obtained by con-tacting Kunsoo Kim, Professor,Columbia University, Mail Code4711, 811 Seeley Mudd Bldg.,500 West 120th Street, New(Continued page 15, column 3)

4

Note from Chair♦ (continued from page 3)

would like to encourage greaternumbers of collaborative, cross-disciplinary special sessions andmeetings that develop appli-cations of physical propertiesstudies of Earth materials, andcontributions of our membershipto new and innovative scientificendeavors that draw on me-chanistic physical and chemicalinsight. Our membership can,for example, contribute a greatdeal to studies of deep-seatedfault rocks recovered by drilling,as has recently been accomp-lished on the Nojima fault nearKobe, Japan, and along theridges and transforms of theocean floor, and as is currentlyproposed for the San Andreasfault of California. Finally, weshare many interests with crystalphysicists, materials scientists,and engineers outside of AGU,and I would like to encouragecontributions to these fields andcross-disciplinary collaborations.

The continuing success ofPPEM will depend on our abilityto respond to needs, our abilityto adjust to a changing fundingclimate, and to recognizeopportunities. This will requirea continuing dialogue. As youperceive the need for change indirection and goals of PPEM,please let me know what youthink we ought to be doing (thatwe're not doing now) and wherewe should be going. Feel free toe-mail me at a.kronenberg@tamu.edu at any time, or youmay wish to contact a memberof the steering committee. Thesteering committee is alsoworking on developing a homepage for the purpose ofimproving communication, aswell as updating our e-maildirectory, to be interfaced withthose of the Mineral and RockPhysics Committee and theTectonophysics Section of AGU.

Certain rocks are consideredstandards to the PPEM com-munity because they are usedagain and again in experimentsto investigate physical pro-perties of the Earth’s lithosphere.Specimens of the better knownexamples such as Westerlygranite, Solnhofen limestoneand Carrara marble can be foundholding down a table or blockinga door in almost every rockmechanics laboratory. However,there is Westerly granite andthen there is Westerly granite.Since original stocks of manyclassic rocks have often beenused up, suitably similar sam-ples are often difficult to obtainbecause as new faces andgalleries are cut in the quarriesthe rock often changes. Thesubtle spatial variations inmineralogy or microstructurethat make sculptures andheadstones unique, can makerepeating previous experimentalresults almost impossible.Therefore, there is a need tocreate a library of classic rockstandards, that are available toeveryone for comparison testingto corroborate previous work andfor standardizing different ma-chines in different labs.

Carrara marble is one suchclassic Earth material, obtain-able from almost any rocksupplier anywhere in the world.Carrara marble covers templesin Bangkok, skyscrapers inChicago, l’arc d’Europe in Parisand every bathroom floor inItaly. However, after a visit tothe quarries of Carrara it isevident that not all Carraramarbles were created equal.Although random Carrara mar-bles are remarkably uniform inbulk chemistry, there are subtle

differences in grain size, grainboundary morphologies, impuritycontent, crystallographic andgrain-shape preferred orien-tations etc. that give differentcolors and characteristics. Youcan find bianco, venato, bar-diglio, cremo, calacatta, fan-tastico and statuario, all dis-tinctly different to look at but allcalled Carrara because theycome from one of over ahundred quarries near theLigurian coast of Italy above thevillage of Carrara. These quar-ries were started in Romantimes and have been workedcontinuously since the 11thcentury. Even Michaelangelowent to Carrara for the fineststatuario marbles. Today thisregion is the largest supplier ofmarble in the world (40% of theUS market!). Carrara is also thehome of the famous Tuscandelicacy “Lardo” - made bysolidifying and curing pureanimal fat in marble crypts forseveral months. Yum!?

Acquiring a block of marble:We recently purchased a largeblock of classic Carrara and areoffering to supply interested labswith a piece. Massimo Coli(Univ. of Florence) arranged atrip in mid-July with AntonioCriscuolo (geologist for IMEG, alarge marble supplier) to someof the quarries, where we wereable to choose the block. Themost important criteria for ourblock were: homogeneousacross the block, freshly cut, notfriable, no fractures or largeveins, minimally foliation and atypical Carrara grain size (~200µm). We decided that bianco(white) marble from the Loranoarea near the crest of the(Continued page 16, column 1)

The Founding of a Rock StandardsLibrary: The Acquisition of theLorano Bianco Carrara Marble

Dave OlgaardETH-Zentrum

5

Rock MechanicsResearch Facilities

at ShellInternational

Exploration andProduction,

Research andTechnical

Services, Rijswijk,the Netherlands

Peter Schutjens, Flip deBree, Bart Pestman

Shell, RijswijkSupporting the wide range ofneeds of the Shell E&POperating Units, there are threerock mechanics related experi-mental facilities at Shell inRijswijk. Projects range fromshort term service work to pro-vide high quality rock propertydata for operations, to longerterm research aimed at develo-ping new techniques to beimplemented at the few yearstime scale.

Inflow Performance Labora-tory

Work is aimed at problemsrelated to sand production,wellbore stability and hydraulicfracturing. The lab has threemajor experimental setups. Thefirst is a room temperature, fullyautomated (MTS Teststar)triaxial testing facility for 25mm diameter cylindrical sam-ples, at pressure up to 70 MPawith a servo controlled porefluid system. Experimental workis aimed at determining elasticproperties and failure criteria ofsandstones and mudrocks underfully drained conditions, withthe possibility to measure porevolume change during deforma-tion.

The second apparatus is thesand production tester (Roxell),

a triaxial pressure vessel forsamples up to 170 mm long and70 mm diameter with an axialhole. It is aimed at the study ofthe onset and progress of sandproduction from a wellborewhich gradually collapses duringproduction of hydrocarbons. Thisapparatus can independentlyapply axial and radial totalstress with simultaneous rapidradial flow of reservoir fluid. Toallow study of the progressivefailure of the wellbore withtime, experiments can becarried out in a Computer Tomo-graph with real time observationof the wellbore.

The third apparatus is theBorehole Collapse Cell, de-signed to study the interaction ofmudrocks and drilling fluidsunder simulated downhole con-ditions. It is aimed at capturingthe complex processes whichoccur at the time scale of daysin wells drilled through very lowpermeability mudrocks, even-tually leading to wellbore col-lapse and drilling problems. Theapparatus consists of a triaxialpressure vessel for samples up to170 mm long and 70 mmdiameter, with an axial hole.Pressures up to 70 MPa andtemperatures up to 180 deg. Care available. This apparatuscan independently apply axialand radial total stress, and hasan internal rubber sleeve toallow hydrostatic consolidationof the samples. In a typicalexperiment a mudrock sample isloaded in the vessel, saturatedwith in-situ pore fluid andloaded in an undrained fashion,followed by consolidation to thedesired in-situ conditions. Afterconsolidation the internal sleevesupporting the wellbore is re-placed by a drilling fluid, andthe stress-strain behavior ismonitored together with theradial fluid flow. In combinationwith finite element modeling,(Continued page 20, column 2)

New PPEMBibliography

UnderConstruction

Brian EvansM.I.T.

Have you ever wished for aspecialized bibliographic refer-ence that covered the literatureon physical properties of rocks,rock deformation, and mineralphysics? Maybe you have tiredof waiting for information from ageneral bibliographic search toolto be transferred over the web.Or you had to search through451 references to work bypeople named Schmid to findthe particular reference thatStefan Schmid wrote in 1977.Maybe you wanted a list ofreferences to import into yourbibliography management soft-ware. Now there is an answer insight.

Georg Dresen, at the Geo-ForschungsZentrum, Potsdam,Germany, and Brian Evans atMass. Inst. Tech., Cambridge,MA are trying to organize theformation of a special biblio-graphic tool that will contain alist of recent research paperspertaining to rock mechanics,physical properties of rocks, andmineral physics. The intent ofthe project is to provide aspecialized reference list thatcould be downloaded from aweb site to an individual. Thelist could then be imported intoany one of several bibliographymaintenance programs on ascientist's local computer. Thelist would be useful in doingliterature searches, maintaininga current reference list, and inconstructing end notes for re-search papers.

The project will depend onthe voluntary submission ofbibliographies from individual(Continued page 16, column 3)

Lab Report

6

The Effects ofFluids on Rock

PhysicalProperties:

Evidence fromLaboratory and

Field Experiments

Dave OlgaardETH-Zentrum

The European GeophysicalSociety's 1996 General Assem-bly was held last May in TheHague, The Netherlands. Ofparticular interest to PPEMmembers was the inter-disciplinary session on theeffects of fluids on physical pro-perties of Earth materialsconvened by D.L. Olgaard, T.Popp, C.J. Peach, and P.Meredith.

The twenty-six oral andposter contributions were amixture of laboratory experi-ments, numerical modeling andfield measurements by geo-physicists from across Europeand around the globe. Thetopics were loosely divided intofour groups: 1) mechanicaleffects of fluids from micro-scopic to macroscopic scales:pressure solution and water-enhanced creep, fluid pumping,pore pressure-induced faulting,diagenesis and faulting, regionaltilting from lake levels, andproduction-induced reservoircompaction, 2) changes inphysical properties of saturatedrocks under triaxial loading:damage analysis using acousticemissions, electrical conduc-tivity, and permeability, 3)fluids and hydrostatic pressures:seismic attenuation, seismicvelocities, streaming potentials,thermal diffusivity and conduc-tivity, and electrical resistivity,and 4) chemical effects: dehy-dration reactions, dielectric

constants and radon isotopemeasurements.

The posters were left up allweek allowing ample time forviewing. Although the oralsession was on the last day ofthe meeting, it was very wellattended and the discussionswere lively and informative. Ifyou are interested in details,most of the contributions will bepublished as reviewed shortpapers in a thematic issue ofPhysics and Chemistry of theEarth, due out in early 1997.Fluid effects on rock physicalproperties will again be featuredat the 1998 EGS GeneralAssembly to be held in Nice, onthe French Riviera. We lookforward to seeing you there.

Conference onHigh-Strain Zones

S.J. Mackwell 1 andM.E. Zimmerman 2

1Pennsylvania State Univ.2Univ. Minnesota

In September, a conference on"Structure and Properties ofHigh Strain Zones in Rocks"was held in Verbania, Italy. Itwas organized by Ernie Rutterand Kate Brodie from theUniversity of Manchester andAttilio Boriani and Luigi Burlinifrom the Universita di Milano.The conference went fromSeptember 3-7 and includedscientific presentations, posters,and an afternoon field excursionfor all participants, as well aslonger field trips to specific fieldlocations in the area.

The conference was held inthe Hotel Castagnola in Ver-bania-Pallanza on the beautifulLago Maggiore in northern Italy.From many of the hotel roomsyou could look out over the lakeat the small scenic islands ofIsola Madre, Isola Superiore,and Isola Bella. The last of

these islands is dominated by amagnificent 17th century palaceand gardens, where Napoleonrested for a while during hisEuropean tour.

The scientific programincluded oral sessions on (a)Geometry and development ofhigh-strain zones, occurrences atlarge and small scales, fieldrelationships, strain measure-ment and distribution, shape fab-rics, classification and nomen-clature, (b) Dating of shearzones, (c) Microstructures,deformation mechanisms andchemical changes, (d) Experi-mental studies relating to high-strain deformation, (e) Geophys-ical and petrophysical aspects ofhigh-strain zones, (f) Associ-ation of shear zones with meltsand relations with meta-morphism, and (g) Regionalstudies of high-strain zones.Throughout the meeting, thetalks were of high caliber, andthe discussion sessions lively, aswere the less formal conver-sations around the posters (andlater in the local bars andrestaurants). It was an excellentopportunity for scientists focuss-ing on different aspects of shearzones to discover new view-points and discuss commonproblems.

On the last formal day of theconference, all participants weretaken on a half-day fieldexcursion to get a closer look atthe section through the Ivrea-Verbano zone transition to theSerie dei Laghi in the lowerValle d'Ossola. The afternoonwas sunny and warm, making itideal for such a trip. In thefollowing two days, one-dayfield trips were led to the IvreaZone in Valle d'Ossola, and inVal Sesia, to the Serie deiLaghi, CMB line, Ivrea zone inVal Cannobina, to the Pogalloline in Val Pogallo, to the VoltriMassif, and to the Alpine sec-tion in the Val d'Ossalo. Parti-(Continued page 18, column 1)

Conference Reports

7

The German DeepDrillhole (KTB)

Experience: Resultsand Implications

Special Section of the Journal ofGeophysical Research, to ap-pear in early 1997

Eds: Prof. Volker Haak (GFZ,Potsdam), Dr. Alan G Jones(GSC, Ottawa)

The main objective of theGerman Continental DeepDrilling Program (KTB) wasdefined as fundamental geo-scientific research on the natureof geophysical structures andphenomena, the stress field andthermal structure of the Earth'scrust, rock fluids, energy- andmass transport processes, aswell as the architecture andevolution of a given crustalsection. KTB has been one ofthe greatest Earth scienceprojects of the last decadeworldwide. An international co-operation between all Earthscientists in a true inter-disciplinary manner results after7 years of drilling in a new viewof the continental crust. Aftercompletion of drilling activities1994 the research program isnow coming to an end. Thus it istime to present a paramountview of the results by the groupof scientists who worked duringthe last 10 years on the KTBproblems. The about 20 bench-mark papers are grouping aroundthe five main research themes ofthe project:♦ Nature of geophysical struc-

tures and phenomena, seismicreflectors, electrical, magne-tic and gravimetric anoma-lies.

♦ The stress-field of the Earth'scrust and the brittle-ductiletransition, orientation and

magnitude of mechanicalstresses.

♦ The thermal structure of thecrust as a function of depth,temperature distribution, heat-production and heat-flow.

♦ Fluids and transport pro-cesses, fluid sources, fluidcomposition and pathways.

♦ Structure and evolution of theVariscan crust in Mid-Europe,architecture, mechanisms ofdeformation and dynamics ofa reactivated crust.The results presented in this

Special Issue will show theimpact of direct in-situ probingof the Earth's crust throughdrilling and extensive boreholemeasurements as well asdetailed laboratory investiga-tions to the interpretation ofgeophysical surface measure-ments and the development ofgeodynamic models. Additionalinformation is given for recentdevelopments in drilling techno-logy, high-temperature boreholelogging tools and data-manage-ment.

Alan G Jones, GSC, Ottawa

EarthquakeGenerationProcesses:

EnvironmentalAspects and Physical

Modeling.

Special issue of Tectonophysicsto appear in early 1997.

Eds: M. Matsu'ura, I.G. Main, C.Marone, S.R. McNutt, J.B.Rundle, and M. Takeo

This volume follows from aspecial session with the sametitle at the 1995 IUGG meetingin Boulder Colorado. The themeof the volume is to developquantitative descriptions of thebasic processes governing

earthquake nucleation, includingfault constitutive relations underrealistic environmental condi-tions. Approximately 20 paperscovering laboratory, theoretical,and field-based approaches toearthquake generation areincluded. Papers emphasize theinterdisciplinary nature of thesubject and the complexity ofthe problems involved. Subjectmaterial includes studies of themechanics of foreshocks andaftershocks, fault creep, friction-al strengthening and faulthealing, fault interaction, fric-tion micromechanics and con-stitutive laws, and the me-chanics of earthquake afterslip.Further information may beobtained from M. Matsu'ura,Chief Guest Editor (matsuura@geoph.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp).

Chris Marone, MIT, Cambridge,MA.

Fault-Related Rocks -- A Photographic

Atlas

Eds. A. Snoke, J. Tullis and V.Todd

In June of 1996, Art , Vickiand I completed a task we hadbegun over 10 years earlier,namely editing a photographicatlas illustrating meso- to micro-scale structures from brittlefaults through ductile shearzones. The initial concept wasdeveloped during informal dis-cussions at the GSA PenroseConference on Petrogenesis andSignificance of Mylonitic Rocksin 1981. Many participants feltthat a new consensus aboutmylonites and ductile shearzones had been achieved at theconference, due largely to theopen discussions that occurredamong field and experimentalgeoscientists from many coun-tries. We felt that a collectionof photographs of featurescharacteristic of faults and shear(Continued page 19, column 3)

Book Announcements

8

DeformationMechanisms in

Nature andExperiment

March 17-19, 1997Basel, Switzerland

The aim of the conference isto refresh the discussion andexchange between scientistengaged in experimental rockdeformation and structural andmicrostructural field studies. Wewould like to focus ondeformation processes, both inexperiments and naturally de-formed rocks.

For more information andregistration forms, consult ourweb-site: www.earth.unibas.chor write to: "Deformation mech-anism conference", Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut,Bernoullistr. 32, 4056 Basel,Switzerland

NYRocks ‘97June 29-July 2, 1997Columbia University, NY

The 36th U.S. Rock Me-chanics Symposium, NYRocks‘97, is organized by the HenryKrumb School of Mines,Columbia University in the Cityof New York, and the AmericanRock Mechanics Associationunder the sponsorship of the U.S.National Committee for RockMechanics. The theme of theSymposium is "Linking Scienceto Rock Engineering". Thetechnical program includeskeynote lectures in the areas ofexcavation and ground control,site characterization, fractureand fracture phenomenon, andcoupled processes and fluidflow.

Chris Scholz is organizing aspecial session on "Fault andEarthquake Mechanics" that

focuses on the applications ofstudies of rock friction andfracture to problems of earth-quake and fault mechanics.Joanne Fredrich and Teng-fongWong are convening a sessionon "Micromechanics andConstitutive Modeling". Thissession will explore recentadvances in understanding andmodeling deformation of pres-sure-sensitive, dilatant geologicmaterials under conditions fa-voring either brittle fracture orductile compactive failure. JohnGale, Fred Paillet and ColleenBarton are organizing a day-longsession on "Geomechanics andFluid Flow" with several sub-sessions on permeability aniso-tropy; lab and field studies;fracture networks and fracturestatistics.

Abstract deadline for somespecial sessions has beenextended to Nov. 1, 1996. Forinformation contact KunsooKim, Columbia University, mailcode 4711, 500 W. 120th St.NY, NY, 10027 kk21@columbia.edu

The 1997 GordonConference on

Rock DeformationAugust 10-15, 1997Colby-Sawyer College,

New London, New Hampshire

Dynamic Metamorphism: TheInteraction of Deformationand Mineral Reactions

Chair: Harry W. Green, II;Vice-chair: Brian Evans

Structural geologists andmetamorphic and igneous pe-trologists have long known thatchemical reactions and me-chanical deformation stronglyinfluence each other. Sometimesthe interactions are straightforward. For example, a meta-morphic reaction may change

the mineral assemblage, causinga concomitant change in themechanical properties. In othercases the interaction may occurindirectly through a change inan environmental variable, aswhen a prograde reaction re-leases a volatile fluid andlowers the effective pressure onthe rock mass. In still othercases, the interaction may bedirect, but not straightforward.Such direct interactions involveprocesses in which the me-chanical and chemical drivingforces combine to determine theprocess rates. For this subset ofcases, the coupling may bequite subtle and involve onlyportions of the mechanical orchemical driving forces. Impor-tant examples of direct couplinginclude static fatigue crackingin the presence of a corrosivefluid, pressure solution processesin the mid to upper levels of thecrust, weakening of minerals bychanges in the chemical fuga-city of water and other chemicalcomponents, and the effect ofpartial melts on rock strength.

Our understanding of theexact physics and chemistry ofthese interactions has sufferedbecause the topics fall at thejoin of several disciplinaryfields: petrology, structural geo-logy, mechanics of materials,solid state chemistry, physicalchemistry and material science.Often workers studying theseinteractions are divided evenfurther by classifications ac-cording to the methods: labora-tory, field geology, and theore-tical. The goal of this con-ference is to promote a multi-disciplinary assessment of ourunderstanding of the couplingbetween chemical and me-chanical forces in minerals androcks. Progress in technicalapparatus, theoretical under-standing, and field observationshave created an opportunity for(Continued page 17, column 1)

Meeting Announcements

9

The Hyogo-ken Nanbu (Ko-be) earthquake of January 17,1995, was the most damaging tohit Japan since the 1923 greatKanto earthquake that destroyedlarge parts of Tokyo and Yoko-hama. The earthquake epicenterwas located about 20 km south-west of Kobe and just northeastof Awaji Island, and occurredalong the fault network of theRokko Mountains near Kobe andto the southwest along the No-jima fault on Awaji Island. The10 km long surface break on theNojima fault displayed offsetsup to approximately 2 m. Theearthquake was the direct causeof 5,502 deaths and 41,527 in-juries. It destroyed a total of394,440 private homes andcaused the evacuation of about340,000 people. The economicloss may be the greatest everfrom a natural disaster, andamounts to approximately 200billion U.S. dollars. AlthoughJapan has long had a very activeearthquake hazards reductionprogram, the destruction by theHyogo-ken Nanbu earthquakehas further stimulated govern-ment and scientific action.

One area of research re-sulting from the earthquake isscientific drilling into andaround the active faults in theKobe region, including the No-jima fault on the northeasternportion of Awaji Island. Thereare three major research groupsactively drilling and conductingexperiments in boreholes aroundKobe and the Nojima fault. Thisarticle provides a brief summaryof the drilling programs andactivities to date. A list ofreferences is provided at the endof the article for those wantingmore information.

The three research groups are1) the Geological Survey ofJapan (GSJ), led by Dr. HisaoIto, and funded by the Agency ofIndustrial Science and Techno-logy and the Ministry of Inter-national Trade and Industry, 2)the National Research Institutefor Earth Science and DisasterPrevention (NIED), led by Dr.Ryuji Ikeda, and funded by theScience and Technology Agen-cy, and 3) the University Group(UG), led by Prof. MasatakaAndo, and funded by the Mini-stry of Education. The groupsare working somewhat indepen-dently, and are conducting simi-lar types of geological andgeophysical investigations, insitu experiments, and downholemonitoring activities.

The GSJ and NIED havecompleted several boreholeslocated close to the epicenter,near the ends of the earthquakerupture, and on the Nojima faultnear the epicenter and where themaximum surface displacementswere observed. These latterboreholes, the GSJ Hirabayashiand NIED Hirabayashi arelocated 75m and 320 m, re-spectively, from the surfacetrace of the Nojima fault andcross the fault zone at depth.The GSJ hole is 747 m deep andthe NIED is 1800 m deep. Thesix other boreholes range be-tween 300 m and 1300 m depth.The three UG boreholes are alsolocated on the Nojima fault, butat a location where both themain Nojima fault and a sub-sidiary fault is observed. Thedepth range of these holes is 500m to 1800 m. Drilling the 1800m hole should be completed inNovember, 1996.

Continuous core has beencollected from almost all of theboreholes. GSJ has had close to100% core recovery in all theirboreholes. At Hirabayashi, con-tinuous core was taken betweenthe depth 150 m-746 m, with98% recovery across the faultzone. The core shows a de-formed zone between 557 and713 m, with clay gouge between623.4 and 625.4 m. This depthinterval corresponds to a faultzone thickness of approximately30 m. Preliminary core obser-vations indicate polyphase de-formation but it is not yet knownwhich, if any, of the deformationfeatures were generated in themost recent earthquake. TheNIED and UG also have col-lected or are collecting corefrom across the Nojima fault,but core recovery rate has notyet been reported. The GSJ andUG are planning extensive studyof the core materials. For theHirabayashi core, the GSJ hasphotographed the core using acore scanning system, madestress measurements on samples(AE/DR, DSCA), and aremeasuring physical propertiesincluding seismic velocity, den-sity, permeability, and fracturestrength. In addition, petro-graphic studies, analysis of frac-tures and core deformation, fluidinclusion analysis, and datingcore materials are in progress.The NIED and UG are con-ducting similar studies of theircore materials.

All groups have completed orwill make a number of downholemeasurements, particularly inthe holes across the Nojimafault. In the Hirabayashi bore-hole the GSJ has carried outconventional caliper, electricalresistivity, density, neutron,gamma ray, micro-resistivity,and temperature logging. Thehole was imaged using bothBHTV and FMI tools. In addi-tion, the velocity structure wasinvestigated using a Schlum-berger Dipole Shear Sonic

Scientific Drilling into the Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake Rupture,

Nojima Fault, Awaji Island, Japan

Hisao ItoGeological Survey of Japan

10

Imager and a 3-component geo-phone VSP. In general, directobservation of features in thecore show good correlation within-situ properties measured inboreholes with remote geophysi-cal techniques. Similar down-hole measurements, though pos-sibly not as extensive, are beingcompleted in the NIED and UGboreholes. Downhole experi-ments in several of the bore-holes include hydraulic fractur-ing stress measurements, andpore pressure and permeabilitymeasurements. No high fluidpressures have been reported forthe wells crossing the fault zone.

The large number of bore-holes will allow the groups toestablish a network of moni-toring stations. Water level willbe monitored in most of the GSJand UG boreholes. In addition,downhole 3-component strainmeters and downhole seismo-meters are to be installed. Mag-netometers, acceleration seis-mometers, and resistivity moni-tor with downhole electrode willbe placed in a couple of theholes.

Researchers from Japaneseand US universities and theUSGS are currently collabora-ting with the GSJ and NIED butthere are plenty of furtheropportunities for internationalcooperation or collaborativescience. It is unlikely that thedrilling into the Nojima faultwill mark the end of scientificdrilling in Japan. In fact, scien-tists in Japan have plans forsuper-deep drilling in the future(JUDGE - Japanese UltradeepDrilling and Geoscientific Ex-periments). For additional infor-mation, contact Dr. Hisao Ito,Geological Survey of Japan, 1-1-3, Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305Japan, e-mail: g0193@gsj.go.jp

GSJ ReportsH. Ito and Y. Kuwahara, Trapped

waves along the Nojima faultfrom the aftershock of KobeEarthquake, 1995, EOS 1995Fall Meeting, 76, F377, 1995.

H. Ito, Research on the Kobeearthquake; Surveying, trench-ing and drilling, Proceedingsof VIIIth International Sym-posium on the observation ofthe Continental Crust ThroughDrilling, 17-19, 1996.

Kuwahara, Y., H. Ito, T. Kiguchiand T. Miyazaki, Velocitystructure of Nojima-Fault byVSP method, Proceedings ofthe 94th SEGJ Conference,39-40, 1996.

Kiguchi, T., H. Ito, Y. Kuwaharaand T. Miyazaki, Evaluationof permeability of NojimaFault by hydrophone VSP,Proceedings of the 94th SEGJConference, 44-47, 1996.

Miyazaki, T. and H. Ito,Preliminaries on Core ImageAnalysis using Fault DrillingSamples, Proceedings of the94th SEGJ Conference,388-391, 1996.

Ito, H., Y. Kuwahara, T. Miya-zaki and T. Kiguchi, Sub-surface structure of the No-jima eartquake fault by faultdrilling, The second WellLogging Symposium of Japan,Paper E, Sep. 26-27, 1996.

Tsukuda, E., M. Takahashi, T.Sato, N. Matsumoto and H.Ito, Ground water observationinthe Kinki district, Japan (1)Geological structure aroundthe wells and telemeter sys-tem, P108, The Seismologi-cal Society of Japan 1996 fallMeeting, Sep. 26-28, 1996.

Matsumoto, N., M. Takahashi,T. Sato, E. Tsukuda and H. Ito,Ground water observationinthe Kinki district, Japan (2)Ground water, strain, GPS andseismic data observation,P109, The SeismologicalSociety of Japan 1996 fallMeeting, Sep. 26-28, 1996.

Ito, H., A. Brie and H.Yamamoto, Subsurface Struc-ture of the Nojima Fault fromDipole Shear Velocity, Ani-sotropy and Borehole StoneleyWaves, 95th SEGJ Confer-ence, Oct. 21-23, 1996.

Ito, H., Y. Kuwahara, O.Nishizawa, K. Yamamoto, O.Sano, T.a Yokoyama, R. Kudoand Z. Xue,Stress State inHanshin Awaji area, TheJapan Society of EngineeringGeology, Oct. 31-Nov.1, 1996.

NIED ReportsIkeda, R., K. Omura, Y. Iio and

H. Tsukahara, Drilling intoactive fault zones by Hanshin-Awaji and Noubi earthquakes,1996 Japan Earth and Plane-tary Science Joint Meeting,B21-02, March 26-29, 1996.

Ikeda, R., Y. Iio and K. Omura,Active fault zone drilling inthe Hanshin-Awaji area (1):Fault zone and stress statearound the Nojima fault, B12,The Seismological Society ofJapan 1996 fall Meeting, Sep.26-28, 1996.

UG ReportsThe research group for the

Nojima fault drilling program(Masataka Ando), The drillingprogram for geophysical andgeological studies of the 1996Hyogoken Nanbu earthquakefault, B51, The SeismologicalSociety of Japan 1996 fallMeeting, Sep. 26-28, 1996.

The research group for faultdissection project, All-roundobservation of crustal activityat the bottom of a 800 mboring in Awajisima, B52,The Seismological Society ofJapan 1996 fall Meeting, Sep.26-28, 1996.

11

A lot has happened since welast wrote about the SanAndreas Fault Zone DrillingProject (FZDP) for the PPEMnewsletter (see October 1994issue). As the first step towardour ultimate goal of drilling a10-km-deep hole into the SanAndreas fault zone, in June ofthis year we submitted aproposal for a 2.5-km-deep PilotFault Zone Drilling Project tothe National Science Foun-dation’s Continental DynamicsProgram, with additional supportsought from the U.S. GeologicalSurvey and the Department ofEnergy. As described below, inthis proposal we requestedfunding not only for drilling andcoring but also for scientificstudies associated with the PilotProject. In particular, werecommended that a source ofdedicated funding be madeavailable by NSF, the USGSand DOE for scientists wishingto participate in this multi-disciplinary project, with fundsto be distributed on a com-petitive (i.e., proposal-driven)basis.

This year we also submittedsupplementary proposals for thePilot Project to the InternationalContinental Drilling Program(ICDP) and the U.S.-JapanEarthquake Disaster MitigationPartnership. The ICDP proposalrequested support in the form ofproject engineering and super-vision; on-site analysis of core,cuttings and fluids; and datamanagement. The U.S.-JapanProposal sought joint funding ofthe Parkfield Pilot Project andarose out of an initiative by the

White House Office of Scienceand Technology Policy andJapan’s Science and TechnologyAgency to create a bilateralprogram in earthquake hazardreduction.

As some of you may beunfamiliar with the FZDP, webegin this update with a briefproject overview. We thendiscuss in more detail thescientific goals, site selectionand experimental plan for thePilot Drilling Project.

Overview of the San AndreasFault Zone Drilling Project

For the past several years wehave been leading aninternational initiative forintegrated surface-based geo-logical and geophysical investi-gations and deep scientificdrilling along the San Andreasfault system (see Hickman,Zoback, Younker and Ellsworth,EOS, Trans. AGU, pp. 137, 140and 142, 1994). This project ismotivated by the need tounderstand the physical andchemical processes operatingwithin the fault zone and toanswer fundamental questionsabout earthquake generationalong major plate-boundaryfaults. The ultimate goal of theFZDP is to drill a vertical holenext to the San Andreas faultand core inclined branches offthis hole to penetrate the fault atdepths of about 3, 6, and 10 km.Through a comprehensive pro-gram of coring, fluid sampling,down-hole measurements, labor-atory experimentation and long-term borehole monitoring, wewould obtain critical information

on the structure, composition,mechanical behavior and phys-ical state of the San Andreasfault system at depths down tothe nucleation zones of greatearthquakes.

The first stage of siteselection for the 10-km-deephole is now well underway, withabout 20 reconnaissance fieldinvestigations – incorporatinggeologic mapping, active andpassive seismology, potentialfield methods (aeromagnetics,gravity and magnetotellurics),aqueous geochemistry andborehole geophysics – beingconducted along four segmentsof the San Andreas faultpotentially suitable for deepdrilling. These studies are beingconducted by individual investi-gators funded by existingprograms within the USGS, NSFand DOE. In the context of theFZDP, one of the principalobjectives of these studies is thedevelopment of sufficientlydetailed geological models ofthe fault and its immediateenvironment to permit theselection of two viable sites forthe deep hole. These investi-gations are also providing im-portant new information on thegeological, geophysical andhydrological setting of the SanAndreas fault system, irrespec-tive of whether or not the 10-kmhole is ever drilled. The secondstage of site selection, whichwould be funded using newmoney raised in support of theFZDP, would then consist ofmuch more detailed geologicaland geophysical investigationsof the crust and upper mantlealong these two finalist seg-ments. Data from both stages ofsite characterization will beintegrated into a common database, providing the informationnecessary both to select the bestsite for the 10-km hole and toextend results from this boreholeto other segments of the SanAndreas fault and to faults inother tectonic environments. The

Scientific Drilling in the SanAndreas Fault Zone: Status and

Recent Developments

Stephen Hickman 1, Mark Zoback 2, andWilliam Ellsworth 1

1U.S. Geological Survey2Stanford University

12

subsequent deep drilling phaseof the project would make itpossible to conduct the in-situinvestigations that are crucial tothe overall success of thisproject.

Since the site selectionstrategy outlined above willdelay drilling of the 10-km-deephole until about the year 2001,we are also proposing to drill a2.5-km-deep “pilot” hole intothe San Andreas fault zone assoon as possible. The drilling,sampling and down-holemeasurements programs pro-posed for the pilot experimentare similar to those for the 10-km hole, including instrumen-tation of the hole for long-termmonitoring of seismicity, defor-mation, temperature and fluidpressure directly within andadjacent to the fault zone. Asthere are strong arguments infavor of locating the 10-km holealong a section of the SanAndreas that is locked andlikely to produce greatearthquakes, we propose drillingthe pilot hole where the fault iscurrently slipping through acombination of small-to-mod-erate earthquakes and faultcreep. By targeting an “active”patch of the fault, the pilotexperiment would allow us toaddress a number of importantissues related both to thephysics of earthquake rupturenucleation and propagation andto the transition from creeping tolocked fault behavior. Also, wecan use the seismicity to tell usthe precise location of theactive trace of the fault where itis penetrated by the borehole -an important parameter ininterpreting data and samplesobtained through the fault zone.This experiment would alsoachieve two other importantobjectives. First, it would enableus to obtain direct informationon the structure, compositionand physical properties of thefault at intermediate depth. Thisinformation would improve

current knowledge tremendouslyand greatly facilitate develop-ment of a comprehensivescience plan for the deep hole.Second, it makes it possible toidentify and begin dealing withthe technical problems ofdrilling, coring, casing, down-hole measurements and long-term monitoring that will beencountered in the deep hole.

Scientific Goals and SiteSelection for the Pilot DrillingProject

Although the 2.5-km pilothole is not deep enough toanswer many of the scientificquestions about the physics offaulting that are driving the deepdrilling project, it would allowus to address a number of first-order questions related to faultmechanics:• What are the mineralogy,deformation mechanisms andconstitutive properties of thefault gouge? Why does the faultcreep? What are the strengthand frictional properties ofrecovered fault rocks at realisticin-situ conditions of stress, fluidpressure, temperature, defor-mation rate and pore fluid chem-istry? What do mineralogical,geochemical and microstructuralanalyses reveal about the natureand extent of water-rockinteraction?• What is the fluid pressure andpermeability within and adjacentto the fault zone? Do super-hydrostatic fluid pressures existwithin the fault zone andthrough what mechanisms arethese pressures generated and/ormaintained? How does fluidpressure vary during deformationand episodic fault slip (creepand earthquakes)? Do fluidpressure compartments exist atshallow depths and, if so, whatis the nature of the seals be-tween compartments?• What are the composition andorigin of fault-zone fluids andgasses? Are these fluids ofmeteoric, metamorphic ormantle origin (or combinations

of the three)? Is fluid chemistryrelatively homogeneous, indi-cating pervasive fluid flow andmixing, or heterogeneous, indi-cating channelized flow and/orfluid compartmentalization?• How do stress orientations andmagnitudes vary across the faultzone? Are the principal stressmagnitudes higher within thefault zone than in the adjacentcountry rock, as predicted bysome theoretical models? Whatis the strength of the shallowcreeping portion of the SanAndreas and how does thiscompare with depth-averagedstrengths inferred from heat flowand far-field stress directions?What do spatial variations instress tell us about the extent ofshear localization and secondaryfault slip?• How do earthquakes nucleate?Does seismic slip begin sud-denly or do earthquakes beginslowly with an acceleration offault slip with time? Do the sizeand duration of this precursoryslip episode, if it occurs, scalewith the magnitude of theeventual earthquake? Are thereother precursors to an impendingearthquake, such as pore pres-sure changes, anomalous fluidflow, crustal strain changes orelectromagnetic signals?• How do earthquake rupturespropagate? Do earthquake rup-tures propagate as a uniformlyexpanding crack or as a "slippulse"? What is the effective(dynamic) stress during fault-ing? How important are pro-cesses such as shear heating,fault-normal opening modes andacoustic fluidization in loweringthe dynamic frictional resistanceto rupture propagation?• How do earthquake sourceparameters scale with magnitudeand depth? What is theminimum size earthquake thatoccurs on the fault? How is thelong-term energy release rate atshallow depths partitioned be-tween creep dissipation, seismicradiation, dynamic frictional

13

resistance, chemical reactionsand grain size reduction (i.e., byintegrating fault zone moni-toring with laboratory obser-vations on core)?• What are the physicalproperties of fault-zone materialsand country rock (seismicvelocities, electrical resistivity,density, porosity, etc.)? How dothey vary with position acrossthe fault zone and with distanceaway from the borehole (i.e.,depth of investigation)? How dophysical properties determinedfrom core samples and wirelinelogs compare with propertiesinferred from surface geo-physical observations?• What processes control thelocalization of slip and strainrate? Are the fault surfaces de-fined by background microearth-quakes and creep the same?Would the active slip surface berecognizable (through coreanalysis and downhole measure-ments) in the absence of seis-micity and/or creep? By com-paring observations on core withresults from fault zone moni-toring, can we identify micro-structures characteristic of rapid(i.e., seismic) slip.

To identify potential sites forthe pilot hole we conducted asystematic search of strike-slipfaults in California, identifyingall faults exhibiting shallowseismicity. We then convened aworkshop on the scientific goals,experimental design and siteselection for the pilot hole at theUSGS in Menlo Park that wasattended by about 45 people.Although several candidate sitesalong the Hayward and SanAndreas faults were considered,it became clear that San An-dreas fault at Middle Mountain,near the town of Parkfield, wasthe best place to conduct thisexperiment because: 1) Surfacecreep and abundant shallowseismicity allow us to accur-ately target the subsurface po-sition of the fault. 2) There is aclear geologic contrast across

the fault, with shallow graniticrocks on the west side (whichprovide for good drillingconditions) and Franciscanmelange on the east. 3) As aconsequence of the ParkfieldEarthquake Prediction Experi-ment, the geological and geo-physical framework of thissegment of the fault is well-established and this site iscentered within the most heavilyinstrumented part of a majorplate-bounding fault anywhere inthe world.

Beginning in the summer of1994, members of the Site

Selection Working Group for theSan Andreas Pilot Projectconducted a number of rela-tively small-scale and detailedgeophysical investigations to fillcritical gaps in our knowledgeabout subsurface structure andmicroearthquake locations at theParkfield site (see Figure 1a). Atemporary seismic network wasinstalled on and around MiddleMountain to calibrate crustalstructure and study fault-zoneguided waves near the proposeddrill site. This experiment in-cluded deployment of temporaryseismic stations (to augment the

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14

permanent local networks),three chemical shot points and a10-station REFTEK arraycrossing the surface trace of theSan Andreas. Additionally, asmall-scale seismic reflectionsurvey was conducted along two2-km-long orthogonal linessouthwest of the San Andreasfault. The purpose of this survey,which employed a singlevibroseis energy source and 128receivers per line, was todetermine the thickness ofTertiary sediments beneath theproposed drilling site. Acontinuous magnetotelluric pro-file was also conducted atMiddle Mountain to determinethe electrical conductivitystructure of the fault zone andits surroundings. Finally, de-tailed geologic mapping helpedto ascertain the geometry andrecent faulting history near theParkfield drill site.

Experimental Plan for thePilot Project

Two phases of drilling areenvisioned: rotary drilling andspot coring of a mostly verticalhole, followed by continuouscoring through the fault zone(Figure 1b). The drill site willbe located sufficiently far fromSan Andreas fault (as de-termined by surface fault creep,microearthquake locations andmagnetotelluric imaging) toallow for continuous coringthrough the entire fault zonestarting at a vertical depth ofabout 1.5 km and continuinguntil relatively undisturbedcountry rock is reached on thefar side of the fault.

Our plan is for the ParkfieldPilot Project to last 5 years.Engineering, detailed planningand fabrication of a specialcoring string will be conductedin the first year. The rotary

drilling phase of the project willbe carried out in the secondyear, during which directionaldrilling techniques will be usedto deviate the hole toward thefault zone at an angle of about45°. Continuous coring throughthe fault zone and downholemeasurements (before and aftercasing is cemented into theborehole) will occur in year 3.Years 4 and 5 will be used tofinalize downhole measure-ments, analyze rock and fluidsamples and install equipmentfor long-term fault zonemonitoring. Development andtesting of the fault-zone moni-toring system will be spread outover the entire 5-year period.We have a signed agreementwith the landowner at Parkfieldthat will allow us to carry outdrilling and downhole measure-ments and then access the site

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15

for 20 years for fault zonemonitoring.

While the direct costs for theParkfield Pilot Project areappreciable ($12.6 M over 5years), approximately half thecost is for drilling and coringand half is for science.Specifically, $7.6 M wasrequested from NSF to coverdrilling and coring ($6.5 M);downhole stress, fluid pressureand permeability measurementsand wireline logging ($0.9 M);and project management ($0.2M). We requested that theremainder of the funds (~$5 M)be distributed by NSF ($1.9 M),USGS ($2.0 M) and DOE ($1.1M) on a competitive proposalbasis to enable critical scientificstudies to be carried out. Theseinclude comprehensive labora-tory studies of exhumed coreand fluids, surface-to-boreholeseismic and electrical studies,and construction and installationof an array of fault zonemonitoring instruments. We alsohope that there will be broadparticipation from the inter-national scientific community aswell, funded by the ICDP andforeign science programs.

Although this is not an easytime in which to initiate anexpensive science project suchas we are proposing, by pursuingmultiple sources for funding andengineering support we hope tosubstantially improve ourchances for success. If youwould like to be involved in thisproject but are not already onour mailing list, please contactSteve Hickman, tel. 415-329-4807, fax 415-329-5163, e-mailhickman@thepub.wr.usgs.gov; orMark Zoback, tel. 415-725-9295,fax 415-725-7344, e-mail zoback@pangea.stanford.edu

PPEM Dinner♦ (continued from page 1)

were kept from this restaurant byits small size. Fortunately for us,it has now moved down the

block to a space that canaccommodate our group (but ourgroup alone) for the evening.

Caffé Delle Stelle is locatedat 395 Hayes Street at Gough,two blocks west of Van NessAvenue and Davies Hal. Therestaurant can be reached byfoot from Moscone Center orUnion Square in perhaps 15minutes (walk down Marketfrom 4th to 9th, Hayes angles offon your right), via a brief cabride, or via the number 21 buswhich runs down Market. At therequest of several PPEMmembers, dinner will start a bitlater this year: the restaurantwill open for socializing at 6:30,and dinner service will begin at7:00. There is a wine bar locatednext door for those who wish tocongregate earlier.

The menu will consist of thefollowing:

Two AppetizersBruschetta: garlic toasts toppedwith fresh tomatoes, basil andolive oilRotolino: roasted eggplant rollsfilled with ricotta and arugola

Small Caesar SaladEntree CombinationPasta Cruda: Pasta tubes withfresh tomatoes, basil, garlic andolive oilCannelloni de salmone: Roastedsalmon cannelloni with wildmushroom sauce(Inform your waiter if you wouldprefer a vegetarian alternative)

WineCabernet sauvignon and Grecodi Tufo, about 1/2 bottle perperson

DesertTiramisu, lady fingers, espresso,mascarpone cheese cakeGlass of vinsanto

We will maintain ourtradition of facilitating studentparticipation in PPEM bykeeping their cost down relativeto the cost for the income-earners. The cost will remain at$25 per person for students and$45 per person for others.

A separate dinner invitationand registration form is enclosedwith this newsletter, andavailable on the web atftp://ftp.eas.slu.edu/pub/ppem Registration and payment (or,for foreign visitors, a promise topay at the door) must bereceived by December 4.Questions, comments, forms andcheques should be sent to ouroutgoing dinner organizer: MikeBlanpied, USGS, Mail Stop977, 345 Middlefield Rd., MenloPark, CA 94025, 415-329-4969,mblanpied@usgs.gov.

ARMA♦ (continued from page 3)

York, NY 10027; Tel: 212-854-8337, Fax: 212-854-8362, E-mail: kk21@columbia.edu, WebPage: http://www.columbia.edu.kk21.

As one of its first services toits membership, ARMA is be-ginning a comprehensive assess-ment of the status of rockmechanics and rock engineeringin the United States. The surveywill compile information on rockmechanics and rock engineeringwithin academic programs, go-vernment laboratories, and theprivate sector. The survey willidentify laboratories and fieldprograms including informationon their equipment, facilities,and capabilities. It will alsoinclude information on currentresearch topics for graduatetheses, as well as providinginformation on the employmentpatterns of recent graduates.

Information on how to joinARMA can be obtained bycontacting Peter Smeallie,Executive Director, ARMA, 600Woodland Terrace, Alexandria,VA 22302; Tel: 703.683.1808,Fax: 703.683.1815, E-mail:psmealli@tmn.com.

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Carrara Marble♦ (continued from page 4)

Apuana Alps would be the bestbet. Antonio and the quarrymenshowed us several satisfactoryblocks and chose a small one(only 10-tons) that had been cutout of the quarry wall thatmorning. The block was squaredoff and trucked down themountain where it was weighedand graded. Because the cut onthe quarry wall was stillobvious, Massimo could recordthe block’s spatial orientationand structural location withinthe variably deformed Apuanametamorphic complex. Theblock was then sawed intosmaller cubes and slabs of ≤ 50kg. Each piece was labeled tocorrespond to the orientationwith respect to and locationwithin the large block. MarcoPieri (ETH-Zurich) had theenviable job of remaining inCarrara for an extra 10 days tooversee the cutting, labeling andboxing of the blocks and to playin the warm sun, sand and sea ofthe Mediterranean, while Lisa(Dell’Angelo), Isabella and Iheaded back to cold rainyZurich.

Geologic history andstructure: Carrara marbleoriginated as a late Triassic-early Jurassic calcite carbonateshelf that was metamorphosedand deformed in the mid-Tertiary during the northernApennine orogeny. The defor-mation manifests itself as largerecumbent folds on the scale ofmeters to kilometers and asstretched pebbles (up to 16:1) inbreccia zones, but is virtuallyunrecognizable at the grainscale. Lorano bianco Carraramarble is a medium-grained(average grain size = 200 µm)white calcite (99.9%) marblewith a tint of blue-gray causedby veins of minor impurities(traces of dolomite, muscovite,feldspar, quartz and pyrite).Detailed chemical and micro-

structural analyses of samplesfrom our block are in progress.

Update on obtaining your ownsample: The initial response tomy e-mails in April and Junewas very enthusiastic. As of thiswriting, we have more than 25orders amounting to a total ofover 5000 kg of marble! Ordersrange from souvenir-sized bricksto over 1000 kg. With the ex-ception of two special orders (T.Tullis and P. Johnson), weselected three different sizes tominimize cutting time andcosts: cubes (~280 mm on aside), rectangular slabs (~150 x260 x 600 mm) and square slabs(280 x 280 x 160 mm). Thereare also smaller pieces that canbe cut into brick-size samples(2-5 kg). One ~100 kg piece outof the center will be reserved forpetrographic study and formaking test samples to be dis-tributed to all interested labs forcross-comparison purposes (askfor details).

The total price will includethe price of the block and thecosts of sawing, crating,handling, and shipping. A roughestimate of the total is US$2 to$3/kg plus shipping from on ofthe distribution centers. Themarble will be distributed fromthree locations.1) Brian Evans or GunterSiddiqi, Dept. EAPS 54-720,MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139,USA; Tel: (617) 253-2856; Fax:(617) 253-1699; e-mail: brievans@mit.edu or gunter@barre.mit.edu. 4500 kg for North Americaand for the “library”.2) Toshi Shimamoto, Earth-quake Research Institute,University of Tokyo, 1-1-1Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113,Japan; Tel: +81-33812111-5757;Fax: +81-338161159; e-mail:shima@eri.u-tokyo.ac.jp. 250 kgfor Japan.3) Dave Olgaard, GeologischesInstitut, ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092Zurich, Switzerland, Tel: (+411) 632-3708, Fax: 632-1080; e-

mail: dave@erdw.ethz.ch. 2000kg for Europe and elsewhere.If you have already placed anorder, be patient, you will becontacted. If you haven’tordered yet but would like to,please contact the distributornearest you.

PPEM Bibliography♦ (continued from page 5)

researchers. Individuals will beasked to submit lists of papersthey have authored or co-authored in a special format.The lists would be imported intoa master bibliography whichwould then be distributed from aWorld Wide Web site. Dresenand Evans plan to solicit thecontributions by e-mail from thereaders of this newsletter, butcontributions by anyone interest-ed in the physical properties ofminerals and rocks are en-couraged. The exact format forsubmissions, further information,and a list of keywords will beavailable from a site on theWorld Wide Web under con-struction. Check it out inNovember at http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/bib/ppem. The Website and the bibliography itselfwill be maintained by the staffat the GeoForschungsZentrum inPotsdam. If you have questionsyou can e-mail Georg Dresen atdre@gfz-potsdam.de or BrianEvans at brievans@mit.edu.

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Meetings♦ (continued from page 8)

a fresh approach to the difficult,but extremely important of thecoupling of chemical andmechanical forces. Join us atColby-Sawyer College this sum-mer in what promises to be astimulating and productive con-ference at the frontiers ofresearch.

Conference FormatThere will be nine formal

morning and evening sessionsspread over 5 days, three talkswill be given in each morningsession, and two in the evening;afternoons are free for discussionand informal activities. The freeperiod in afternoon providesaccess for newcomers to theworld's experts in the disciplineand facilitates establishment ofnew collaborations betweenresearchers in different disci-plines. Two evening sessionswill be devoted to posterscontributed by the conferees.

Poster sessions allow themost current research to bediscussed in informal and highlyinteractive discussions. The con-ference commences with dinnerand an evening session onSunday, August 10, and endswith the evening session onThursday, August 15. All atten-dees will have the opportunity topresent posters, so we encourageparticipation by graduate stu-dents and post-doctoral re-searchers as well as establishedscientists.

LocationColby-Sawyer, founded in

1837, is located in the Dart-mouth-Lake Sunapee region ofNew Hampshire and sits on 80acres of land, within walkingdistance of the main shoppingarea of New London. Oppor-tunities for hiking, biking,swimming, golf and tennis arenear the campus. There are B &Bs, motels, campgrounds, andmany interesting restaurants thatcater to Gordon conferees. The

Hogan Fitness Center located oncampus has a pool, weightroom, indoor track and gym andthe GRC has a beach on LittleSunapee Lake reserved for con-ferees and their guests.

The conference is easilyreached by flying to Boston'sLogan Airport. A chartered buswill be available from LoganAirport to the site on Sunday,and from the site back to Loganon Friday To get to New Londonfrom the South by car (MA, CT,RI), take I-93 North to I-89North, just South of Concord,NH. On I-89, use exit 11, turnright at the end of the exit anddrive one mile to the blinkinglight. Take a left onto MainStreet and you will see thecollege on your right (about onemile). From North or westernNew England/NY, take I-91 to I-89 South and get off at exit 11and follow above directions.

Tentative Conference Sche-dule

Sunday EveningPressure-solution and relatedphenomena - Field observations.♦ Dissolution and transport

processes (Grain scale).♦ Dissolution and transport

processes (Field Scale):Stylolites, crenulation cleav-age, crack-seal

Monday MorningPressure-solution and relatedphenomena♦ Nonhydrostatic thermodyna-

mics, theory of stylolites♦ Experiments

Monday EveningPoster Session #1: Pressure so-lution and partial meltingposters

Tuesday MorningInteractions between hydro-thermal mineral reactions anddeformation.♦ Development of shear zones

in retrograde (or progressive)terranes

♦ Interaction between mineralreactions and brittle defor-mation.

Tuesday EveningDynamic mantle melting be-neath midocean ridges - Theoryand experiment

Wednesday Morning♦ Dynamic crustal melting♦ Tectonic melting of conti-

nental rocks and/or sediments- Experimental and fieldobservations

Wednesday EveningPoster Session #2: Fluid-freedeformation, phase changes,mineral kinetics, rock memory

Thursday MorningInteraction of solid-solid phasetransformations and deformation.♦ Transformation-induced

faulting and deep earthquakes♦ Superplastic flow and shear

zone development♦ Interaction of stress and phase

transformations

Thursday EveningHow do rocks record the P-T-t-strain-stress conditions?♦ Chemistry - Power and limita-

tions♦ Deformation microstructures -

Power and limitations

Information on Registrationand Fees

Science magazine will havea list of the topics, times andspeakers of all Gordon ResearchConferences in one of theFebruary issues. There are threeways to register: by conven-tional mail; by e-mail; or usingthe WorldWide Web. For con-ventional registration, detailsmay be obtained directly fromthe Gordon Conference Office:Gordon Research Conferences,University of Rhode Island, P.O.Box 984, West Kingston, RI02892-0984, USA. Phone: (401)783-4011/3372; FAX 783-7644.To obtain an e-mail form, sendan e-mail message to grc@grcmail.grc.uri.edu

Applications are due 6 weeksbefore the commencement ofthe conference, but rememberthat there is a limit on thenumber of conferees. Some con-ferences are oversubscribed. By

18

applying early, you will help inenabling us to plan for theconference.

For more information, con-tact: Prof. Harry W. Green II,Institute of Geophysics, Univer-sity of California, Riverside, CA92521, tel: 909-787-4505, fax:909-787-4509, email: hgreen@ucrac1.ucr.edu.

ConferenceReports

♦ (continued from page 6)

cipants saw spectacular expo-sures of upper mantle and mid tolower crustal shear zones andrelated mylonites, ultramy-lonites, peridotites, mafic granu-lites and migmatitic metasedi-mentary country rocks.

All participants appeared toenjoy the conference immensely-- the scientific sessions, thediscussions, the field excursions,the spectacular scenery, andespecially the fine food andwine. Abstracts and other infor-mation regarding the conferenceare on the www site http://imiucca.csi.unimi.it/~petro/isprs.html. The most relevant paperswill be published in a thematicissue of Journal of StructuralGeology.

Faulting, FaultSeal and Fluid

Flow inHydrocarbon

Reservoirs

Rob Knipe, Greg Jonesand Quentin FisherUniversity of Leeds

September 23-25, 1996University of Leeds

Understanding fault sealing andcompartmentalization in hydro-carbon fields is now recognizedas a key factor in hydrocarbonexploration and reservoir

management. The economicimportance of fault behavior haslead to a rapid expansion ofinterest in faulting and fluid flowin sedimentary basins and isproviding a wealth of new highquality data from 3D seismic tomicrostructural analysis of coresand from pressure compartmentdistribution to migration his-tories. This in turn allowsresearchers to provide a robustframework for interpretation andprediction of reserves. There is aclear opportunity for a "re-searcher" to "technology user"link here and the conferencewas aimed at exchanging ideasbetween these communities. Theattendance of 232 delegatesfrom a wide range ofbackgrounds guaranteed that theconference was multidisci-plinary and achieved the re-quired integration of geologists,geophysicists, reservoir engi-neers, explorationists, numericalmodellers, experimentalists. Theconference 'icebreaker' was acore workshop where core sam-ples from faulted reservoirs fromthe North Sea, provided anexcellent opportunity to assessdeformation characteristics andcharacterization procedures. Atotal of 82 papers were sub-mitted for the main two-and-ahalf day oral and poster sessions.The themes covered were:♦ Structural geology in reservoircharacterization.♦ Fault array geometry andevolution.♦ Fault zone internal structuresand damage zones.♦ Faulting processes and sealproperties.♦ Deformation and fluid flow♦ Modeling of deformation andfluid flow.♦ Fault seal analysis.♦ Hydrocarbon field examples.

The conference highlightedthe rapid progress which hasbeen made of the last five yearsin: a) understanding the geo-metry of fault zones, b)characterizing of fault rock

properties c) the development oftools for evaluating faultgeometries, juxtaposition distri-butions and modeling flowbehavior d) recognizing thevalue of detailed structuralanalysis for input into productionstrategies and the creation offault rock databases which takenote of different geohistoriesthat impact on fault behavior.

The conference emphasizedthe need to incorporate geo-mechanics into reservoir be-havior assessments, to evaluatethe patterns and controls on thecontinuity, spatial distributionand petro-physical properties offault rocks within fault zones, toassess the relative importance oforder and chaos associated faultarray evolution, to identifyappropriate scaling relation-ships, and to validate theapplicability of fault seal riskprocedures. The field excursionsto Flamborough Head and theCheshire basin which followedthe conference provided addi-tional opportunities to discussfault zone behavior and to"decompress". Thanks for sup-port to Arco, BP, British Gas,Chevron Conoco, Elf, Mobil,Phillips, Shell, Texaco, as wellas The Petroleum Group andThe Tectonics Group of theGeological Society of London.Lastly, thanks to all those whocame to Leeds and made theevent a success.

Copies of abstracts can beobtained from the Rock Defor-mation Research Group atLeeds.

Rob Knipe (r.knipe@earth.leeds.ac.uk), Greg Jones and QuentinFisher, Rock Deformation Re-search, University of Leeds.

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MRP Report♦ (continued from page 2)

methodology in different areasare combined. For example, whyshouldn't we extend the questionof deformation of two-phasematerials, a popular researchtopic in rock physics com-munity, to a mixture of perov-skite and magnesiowustite toinvestigate the rheology of thelower mantle? What about thesimilarities and differences be-tween the processes in partiallymolten upper mantle or crustalrocks and the rocks at the core-mantle boundary, or the pro-perties of mixture of molten ironand silicates during the coreformation process? Is there anysimilarity between the formationof pseudotachylytes and deepearthquakes? In a more broadperspective, one area in whichmineral and rock physicists can(or should) make an importantcontribution to earth science isthe geodynamical interpretationof seismic tomography. In myopinion, seismic tomography isthe most significant contributionto solid earth science during thepast ten years, and has changedthe study of deep mantle dy-namics from a subject of specu-lation to a real science that hasa solid basis in observation. Onehighly critical issue that is stillnot well understood is how tointerpret the results of seismictomography. When we see blueor red regions in tomographicmaps (high or low velocityanomalies), what do they mean?Do they correspond to low orhigh temperature anomalies?What about the role of water(why some of the velocityanomalies may not correspondto the anomalies in watercontent? How do we investigateit?)? Similarly, what is thegeodynamical meaning of seis-mic anisotropy? We think weknow something about the rela-tion between dynamics andanisotropy of upper mantle

rocks. How about the deepmantle anisotropy? Does SH>SV (SV>SH) polarizationanisotropy in the deep mantleimply horizontal (vertical) flowas is the case of the uppermantle?

Those are the examples ofsome of the interdisciplinaryissues that immediately come tomy mind. I believe that a goodway to make mineral and rockphysics a more lively sub-discipline in AGU is to makecontributions that have impacton other subdisciplines. I ima-gine that there are several waysin which this committee couldserve this purpose. Let me list afew that come to my mind. (i)To organize special sessions atAGU or at other meetings, notonly on very specialized topicsbut occasionally also on topicswith diverse interests for otherareas of earth science. (ii) Toimprove the accessibility tosome national facilities, such ashigh energy X-ray sources, to awide community of scientists.(iii) To improve our visibility inthe AGU community (oneeffective way is to publish more"mineral and rock physics"related articles in EOS). (iv) Topromote new blood into this area(I am getting old, I suppose!?). Ithink we need many more newstudents in this area, particularlyfrom this country.

I think that addressing theissues (i) to (iii) will berelatively straightforward and,with your help, I am prettyconfident that we can succeed.Getting more students in mineraland rock physics is a difficulttask and I do not have a veryoptimistic view at this time - buthere is one.

Student AwardThe Mineral and Rock

Physics Committee seeks nomi-nations for the 1997 StudentAward as means of recognizingoutstanding contributions bypromising young scientists tothis interdisciplinary area of re-

search. Student nominees maybe members of any AGU sectionwho have engaged in experi-mental and/or theoretical studiesof minerals and earth materialswith the purpose of unravelingthe physics and chemistry thatgovern their properties. Theaward includes a $500 cashaward, which may be used to-ward travel or other professionalexpenses. For the details of theapplication procedure, pleasecontact Hartmut Spetzler atUniversity of Colorado (Hartmut.Spetzler@spot.Colorado.edu).

Wine and Cheese ReceptionFollowing the good tradition

during the past few years, therewill be a Mineral and RockPhysics wine and cheese re-ception at the fall AGU meeting.Al Duba will again make surethat we have an excellentselection of wine at the re-ception. Thanks Al! The tenta-tive schedule and location are:December 15 (Sunday), 17:30-19:30, Room 236 MosconeCenter

Shun-ichiro KaratoChair of the Mineral and RockPhysics CommitteeUniversity of Minnesota, Depart-ment of Geology and Geophy-sics, 108 Pillsbury Hall, Min-neapolis, MN 55455, USA, tel.612-624-7553, fax. 612-625-3819karato@ maroon.tc.umn.edu

Books♦ (continued from page 7)

zones, together with carefullydocumented locations andregional (or experimental)information, would provide avaluable reference as well as ateaching device.

An initial call for contri-butions was issued in fall 1981,to all participants of the PenroseConference as well as manyother individuals, and during1982-83 many contributionswere received and processed.However, a variety of circum-

20

stances delayed the completionof the project. In January 1994the editors re-dedicated our-selves to completing the task,believing that there was still anun-met need for such a volume,and that a number of majoradvances in our understanding offaults and shear zones hadoccurred in the interveningyears. We sent out letters to allthe former contributors, as wellas to a number of additionalscientists who had becomeactive in fault rocks research.We read all of the contributionsand requested minor or majorrevisions, in order to ensurequality of photographs and adegree of uniformity in style andterminology. Art undertook theenormous task of scanning in allof the contributions andformatting them to a commonstandard, and Art and Jan wrotean introductory essay docu-menting aspects of terminology,deformation mechanisms andmicrostructures, and conceptualmodels of fault and shear zones.By August 1995 the manuscriptof the book was sent toPrinceton University Press forformal review; they sent it toJohn Christie and Rob Twiss,who made very useful sug-gestions for improvements.Editing of the atlas continuedfrom fall of 1995 through June1996; revisions to the intro-ductory essay were greatlyfacilitated thanks to constructivereview comments from BarbaraJohn, Bruno Lafrance, WinMins, Ernie Rutter, Rick Sibson,Carol Simpson, Vickie Todd andespecially Rick Law.

The final version of the Atlaswas sent to Princeton UniversityPress in June 1996, and it shouldbe published sometime in 1997.It consists of the approx. 20 pageintroductory essay plus 223“double spreads” which have 1to 3 photos on the right-handpage and accompanying ex-planatory text, together with anyappropriate location map or

other line drawings, on thefacing left-hand page. The atlasis organized into 3 major sec-tions, on Brittle behavior; Semi-Brittle Behavior; and DuctileBehavior. There are a numberof sub-categories for each, suchas fluid-related features, foli-ation development, and strainpartitioning. Most of thecontributions illustrate naturallydeformed fault rocks and my-lonites, but there are a numberof contributions illustratingexperimentally deformed rocksand analog materials. There isalso an extensive bibliographyof references cited. Our hope isthat this Atlas will serve todocument many of the importantadvances that have been madein understanding fault-relatedrocks, as well as to stimulateinterest in helping to solve themany remaining problems.

Jan Tullis, Brown University, RI

Shell Laboratory♦ (continued from page 5)

this allows determination of thecoupled flow parameters(permeability, diffusivity, osmo-tic efficiency) together with thestress-strain properties of themudrock. Developments ofbreakouts with time can be fol-lowed by performing the experi-ments in a Computer Tomo-graph, and after the experimentschemical and microstructuralchanges of the samples arestudied by wet chemical andSEM techniques.

Compaction LaboratorySandstone reservoirs experi-

ence a two- to tenfold increasein effective vertical stress duringthe life of the field. Thisincrease in effective stress leadsto sliding, rotation and deform-ation of the grains, and leads tocompaction and densification ofthe reservoir. This in turn mayinduce surface subsidence,change the reservoir permea-bility, increase the risk of casing

damage and cause seismicity.These phenomena may have atechnical, economical andsocial impact on hydrocarbonproduction.

In the compaction laboratory,the compressibility of reservoirrock is measured under in-situstress and temperature con-ditions. Three different triaxialdeformation machines areavailable, operating tempera-tures up to 180 deg C, andpressures up to 100 MPa. Fullyautomated measurement ofultrasonic velocities and moni-toring of acoustic emissions isavailable. In a typical experi-ment, cylindrical samples coredfrom reservoir cores are en-closed in Viton sleeves andsubjected to in- situ vertical andhorizontal stress and pore fluidpressure (hydrocarbons andwater). Then the pore pressure isreduced at a constant rate andthe total radial and axial stressis simultaneously adjustedaccording to the boundary con-dition dictated by field data ornumerical modeling. In all threemachines, the axial deformationof the sample is measured usingLVDT's. At high temperature theradial deformation is measuredin the confining fluid with twoLVDT's mounted in analuminum ring, via a metalcontact pad through the rubbersleeve. At room temperature theradial deformation is measuredusing a semi-circular copper ringwith strain gauges glued to bothsides. Calibrations show that wecan measure rock compressi-bility with a precision of 10E-5/MPa. During a compactionexperiment the permeability tobrine can also be measured,both along the sample axis andalong the sample diameter. Inaddition the usual elasticparameters like Youngs Modu-lus, Poisson's ratio and graincompressibility are determined.

Thin-section analysis andScanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) are carried out to

21

investigate the influence ofmicrostructural parameters oncompressibility and acousticwave velocities, such as grainsize, shape and orientation, andthe grain-to-grain contact area.Mechanical and microstructuraldata are correlated to wirelinelog data, in an attempt to linkfundamental experimental rockphysics to applied petrophysics.

General Research LaboratoryThis laboratory has two main

facilities. The Polyaxial Cell isused in research of thedevelopment of acoustic velo-cities in reservoir rocks as afunction of stress, (testingmodels of crack orientationdistribution functions); and atunderstanding stress memoryeffects for the development ofnew techniques for in-situ stressdetermination. The PolyaxialCell can handle 5 cm cubicsamples. It has a workingcapacity of 130 MPa in each ofthe three directions inside a box-type reaction frame. The load onthe sample is applied throughlubricated aluminum end pla-tens, leaving small strips at the

edges of the cube free.Ultrasonic wave velocities (Pand S) can be measured in eachdirection. Loading in all threedirections is fully servo-controlled, and multichannelAcoustic Emission measure-ments can be made. Research inthe size effect on the strength ofthick wall cylinders, and in thedevelopment of borehole break-outs with increasing stress isdone using the Large Sizetriaxial cell. This is a con-ventional triaxial, self-containedcell capable of deformingcylindrical samples of 160 mmdiameter and 400 mm long withan axial hole, at pressures up to125 MPa and controlled porepressure. Load control and dataacquisition are done by a MTSTeststar II testing system. Strainmeasurement is in axial and tworadial directions, and Multi-channel Acoustic Emissionmeasurements are possible.

For further informationplease contact p.debree@siep.shell.com p.m.t.schutjens@siep.shell.com or b.j.pestman@siep.shell.com

Editor’s NoteThis newsletter should provide an

informal, but informative, platformfor communication and cooperation

among those studying physicalproperties of rocks by experimentaltechniques. In that spirit, we seek

scientific contributions,discussions of events, conferences,and books, and opinions regardingthe business of science. Your ideasand opinions are solicited for new

issues. To maintain informality andto encourage spontaneity, the

articles are offered here with theunderstanding that they are the

author's opinions and are not to becited. You should contact the

authors for formal documentation.

Editors for the ‘96 NewsletterFred Chester & Janos Urai