Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p43c1691o&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P43C-1691
Physics
[5475] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Tectonics, [8010] Structural Geology / Fractures And Faults, [8149] Tectonophysics / Planetary Tectonics
Scientific paper
The equatorial layered deposits on Mars exhibit abundant evidence for the sustained presence of groundwater, and therefore insight into past water-related processes may be gained through the study of these deposits. Pyroclastic and evaporitic sediments are two broad lithologies that are known or inferred to comprise these deposits. Investigations into the effects of faulting on fluid flow potential through such Mars analog lithologies have been limited. Thus a study into the effects of faulting on fluid flow pathways through fine-grained pyroclastic sediments has been undertaken, and the results of this study are presented here. Faults and their damage zones can influence the trapping and migration of fluids by acting as either conduits or barriers to fluid flow. In clastic sedimentary rocks, the conductivity of fault damage zones is primarily a function of the microstructure of the host rock, stress history, phyllosilicate content, and cementation. The chemical composition of the host rock influences the mechanical strength of the grains, the susceptibility of the grains to alteration, and the availability of authigenic cements. The spatial distribution of fault-related damage is investigated within the Joe Lott Tuff Member of the Mount Belknap Volcanics, Utah. Damage is characterized by measuring fracture densities along the fault, and by mapping the gas permeability of the surrounding rock. The Joe Lott Tuff is a partially welded, crystal-poor, rhyolite ash-flow tuff of Miocene age. While the rhyolitic chemical composition of the Joe Lott Tuff is not analogous to the basaltic compositions expected for Mars, the mechanical behavior of a poorly indurated mixture of fine-grained glass and pumice is pertinent to understanding the fundamental mechanics of faulting in Martian pyroclastic sediments. Results of mapping around two faults are presented here. The first fault is entirely exposed in cross-section and has a down-dip height of ~10 m. The second fault is partially exposed, with ~21 m visible in cross-section. Both faults have a predominantly normal sense of offset and a minor dextral strike-slip component. The 10 m fault has a single well-defined surface, while the 21 m fault takes the form of a 5-10 cm wide fault core. Fracture density at the 10 m fault is highest near its upper and lower tips, forming distinct near-tip fracture damage zones. At the 21 m fault, fracture density is broadly consistent along the exposed height of the fault, with the highest fracture densities nearest to the fault core. Fracture density is higher in the hanging walls than in the footwalls of both faults, and the footwall of the 21 m fault exhibits m-scale areas of significant distributed cataclasis. Gas permeability has a marked decrease, several orders of magnitude relative to the non-deformed host rock, at 1.5 m on either side of the 10 m fault. Permeability is lowest outboard of the fault's near-tip fracture damage zones. A similar permeability drop occurs at 1-5 m from the center of the 21 m fault's core, with the permeability drop extending furthest from the fault core in the footwall. These findings will be used to improve existing numerical methods for predicting subsurface fluid flow patterns from observed fault geometries on Mars.
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