The process of primary migration, which controls the transfer of hydrocarbons from source to reservoir rocks, necessitates the existence of fluid pathways in low permeability sedimentary formations. Primary migration starts ...

Depleted oil reservoirs are considered a viable solution to the global challenge of CO2 storage. A key concern is whether the wells can be suitably sealed with cement to hinder the escape of CO2. Under reservoir conditions, ...

Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is the primary ore mineral for copper, but leaching of this mineral under atmospheric conditions is slow due to the formation of surface passivating phases such as elemental sulphur and jarosite. Here, ...

Strain localisation structures, such as shear fractures and compaction bands, are of importance due to their influence on permeability and therefore outgassing, a factor thought to influence eruptive style. In this study, ...

Recent increases in industrial activity have resulted in elevated chromium (Cr) pollution in the natural environment, from the degradation of concrete and the leakage of water from landfills or mine waste. The release of ...

Faults in carbonate rocks show both seismic and aseismic deformation processes, leading to a wide range of slip velocities. We deformed two centimeter‐scale cores of Carrara marble at 25°C and imaged the nucleation and ...

The challenge to produce dolomite CaMg(CO3)2 at low temperature (20–35 °C) over laboratory time scales so far has remained unsuccessful, which has led to long-lasting scientific debates in the last two centuries. This ...

In the continental crust, faults may accommodate deformation through aseismic creep, slow slip events, or seismic slips that produce dynamic damage, or a combination of these endmembers. A variety of parameters controls ...

To examine the impact of preexisting weaknesses on fracture coalescence during volcanic edifice deformation, we triaxially compressed Mount Etna basalt while acquiring in situ dynamic X‐ray microtomograms and calculated ...

During progressive burial, low permeability organic-rich shale rocks evolve chemically and physically as the temperature and stress increase and organic matter matures. The transformation of organic matter into hydrocarbon, ...

The mechanisms triggering intermediate and deep earthquakes have puzzled geologists for several decades. There is still no consensus concerning whether such earthquakes are triggered by brittle or ductile mechanisms. We ...

We investigate the evolving distribution of strain produced by a sliding fault within intact crystalline rock, and the energetics of deformation that occur both on- and off-fault. We slid precut faults of differing roughness ...

Understanding shale’s geomechanical and elastic properties is critical to success in conventional and unconventional plays. This understanding provides a framework for the safe extraction of hydrocarbons as well as a guide ...

We characterize and monitor subsidence of the Bursa Plain (southern Marmara region of Turkey), which has been interpreted as resulting from tectonic motions in the region. We quantify the subsidence using Interferometric ...

To constrain the impact of preexisting mechanical weaknesses on strain localization culminating in macroscopic shear failure, we simulate triaxial compression of layered sedimentary rock using three-dimensional discrete ...

Rock rheology and density have first‐order effects on the lithosphere's response to plate tectonic forces at plate boundaries. Changes in these rock properties are controlled by metamorphic transformation processes that ...

Centuries of work have highlighted the importance of several characteristics on fracture propagation. However, the relative importance of each characteristic on the likelihood of propagation remains elusive. We rank this ...

Understanding fluid flow in rocks is crucial to quantify many natural processes such as ground water flow and naturally triggered seismicity, as well as engineering questions such as displacement of contaminants, the ...

Earthquakes in the continental crust commonly occur in the upper 15 to 20 km. Recent studies demonstrate that earthquakes also occur in the lower crust of collision zones and play a key role in metamorphic processes that ...

In nature and experiments, a large variety of rupture speeds and front modes along frictional interfaces are observed. Here, we introduce a minimal model for the rupture of homogeneously loaded interfaces with velocity ...

Plain Language Summary Observations have shown that the duration of earthquakes is related to the seismic moment through a power law. The power law exponent is different for regular earthquakes and slow aseismic rupture, ...

Shallow aseismic creep is a key deformation component along plate boundaries that contributes to the energy budget during the seismic cycle. Several major active continental faults show spatial alternation of creeping and ...

Microscale heterogeneities influence failure mechanisms in the crust. To track the microstructural changes in rock samples when loaded until failure, we employed a novel experimental technique that couples dynamic X‐ray ...

Advances in triaxial compression deformation apparatus design, dynamic X-ray microtomography imaging, data analysis techniques, and digital volume correlation analysis provide unparalleled access to the in situ four-dimensional ...

Hydration reactions influence rock density and rheology. For example, volume increases produced in hydration reactions may generate sufficient tensile and shear stress to fracture both the rock undergoing the reaction and ...

Understanding the approach to faulting in continental rocks is critical for identifying processes leading to fracturing in geomaterials and the preparation process of large earthquakes. In situ dynamic X-ray imaging and ...

Magnesium carbonate production at the industrial scale is a realistic option to reduce the industrial emissions of CO2. Ultrabasic rocks and/or alkaline mine waste provide magnesium sources and are widely available in the ...

Understanding failure and strain localization in porous rock is of fundamental importance in rock physics. Confined compaction experiments on porous rocks have revealed a broad spectrum of failure modes. Techniques such ...

The statistics and dynamics of fractures formed during the accelerated maturation of kerogen-rich shale was investigated by heating Green River Shale (R-8 unit, Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado) core samples while 3D ...

The identification and measurement of ground deformations in urban areas is of great importance for determining the vulnerable parts of the cities that are prone to geohazards, which is a crucial element of both sustainable ...

Hydration of a nominally dry rock can cause expansion of the solid volume, resulting in reaction‐induced fracturing and an associated increase in the porosity and permeability of the rock. We study the effect of confinement ...

The structural and metamorphic evolution of the lower crust has direct effects on the lithospheric response to plate tectonic processes involved in orogeny, including subsidence of sedimentary basins, stability of deep ...

In the Earth's upper crust, where aqueous fluids can circulate freely, most mineral transformations are controlled by the coupling between the dissolution of a mineral that releases chemical species into the fluid and ...

Rock failure under shear loading conditions controls earthquake and faulting phenomena. We study the dynamics of microscale damage precursory to shear faulting in a quartz‐monzonite rock representative of crystalline rocks ...

In order to better understand the microtextural changes associated with serpentinization reactions, natural millimeter-sized olivine grains were experimentally reacted with alkaline NaOH and NaHCO3 solutions at a temperature ...

Stylolites are ubiquitous geo-patterns observed in rocks in the upper crust, from geological reservoirs in sedimentary rocks to deformation zones, in folds, faults, and shear zones. These rough surfaces play a major role ...

Stylolites are planar features that form due to intergranular pressure solution. Due to their planar geometry and relative abundance in limestone reservoirs, their impact on regional fluid flow has attracted considerable ...

Digital volume correlation analysis of time‐resolved X‐ray microtomography scans acquired during in situ triaxial compression of Green River shale cores provided time series of 3‐D incremental strain fields that elucidated ...

In contrast to coseismic pulverization of crystalline rocks, observations of coseismic pulverization in porous sedimentary rocks in fault damage zones are scarce. Also, juxtaposition of stiff crystalline rocks and compliant ...

Dehydration of partly or completely serpentinized ultramafic rocks can increase the pore fluid pressure and induce brittle failure, a process referred to as dehydration embrittlement. However the extents of strain localization ...

Postseismic recovery within fault damage zones involves slow healing of coseismic fractures leading to permeability reduction and strength increase with time. To better understand this process, experiments were performed ...

In a porous rock, the spatial distribution of the pore space induces a strong heterogeneity in fluid flow rates and in the stress distribution in the rock mass. If the rock microstructure evolves through time, for example, ...

Fragments of optically flat silica discs embedded in synthetic gouge were deformed to examine the relationship between the development of striations and slickenlines, and deformation mechanisms, conditions, and fault ...

Aseismic creep is observed at surface along several segments of the North Anatolian right‐lateral active fault in Turkey, a major plate boundary between Eurasia and Anatolia. Identifying the mechanisms that control creep ...

Antimony, which has damaging effects on the human body and the ecosystem, can be released into soils, ground-, and surface waters either from ore minerals that weather in near surface environments, or due to anthropogenic ...