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Experimental data for permeability and stiffness measurements of fractured Flechtingen sandstone measured with a triaxial compression apparatus

Faults and fractures form the largest contrast of fluid flow in the subsurface, while their permeability is highly affected by effective pressure changes. In this experimental study, fractured low-permeability Flechtingen (Rotliegend) sandstones were cyclically loaded in a MTS tri-axial compression cell. Two different loading scenarios were considered: “continuous cyclic loading” (CCL) and “progressive cyclic loading” (PCL). During continuous cyclic loading, a displaced tensile fracture was loaded hydrostatically from 2 to 60 MPa in several repeated cycles. During progressive cyclic loading, the load was increased with a step-wise function (15, 30, 45 and 60 MPa) and unloaded after every loading step. For full elasticity of rock matrix deformation each rock sample has been preconditioned up to 65 MPa. After that, an artificial tensile fracture was introduced into the sample using the Brazilian Disk test. The fractured sample was installed into the MTS triaxial cell at a given offset of 0.5 mm and hydrostatic loading was applied accordingly. The fracture permeability was measured continuously using the cubic law calculated from the hydraulic aperture. Fracture closure was measured using LVDT extensometers during the entire experiment and the resulting fracture closure and stiffness was calculated accordingly. The total deformation of the sample was corrected by the amount of elastic deformation of the rock matrix to obtain the fracture closure only. Potential changes to the fracture surface topography before and after the experiments were analysed from high-resolution surface scans obtained by a 3D profilometer using the fringe pattern projection. The scale-independent roughness exponent was calculated using power spectral density method assuming self-affinity. The fracture aperture distribution and contact-area ratio was calculated by matching the best fitting principal planes of the bottom and top surface and applying a grid search algorithm. The results showed a “stress-memory” effect of fracture stiffness during progressive loading that can be used to identify previous stress states in fractures. This effect is characterized by a transition from a non-linear to a linear (reversible to non-reversible) behaviour of specific fracture stiffness when a previous stress-maximum is exceeded. Furthermore, the evolution of fracture permeability shows less reduction during progressive cyclic loading compared to continuous cyclic loading. The data measured during the flow-through experiment under varying effective pressure are provided in the file “MTS_data.zip”. The data are provided as separate text-files as well as in Excel format with different spreadsheets, such that each figure in the paper can be recalculated and that the underlying data is comprehensive. The name of all three rock samples is given in the file name including the type of the experiment (CCL or PCL). The fracture surfaces and the fracture aperture distributions are found within the file “Surface_data.zip”. This file contains the fracture data of each of the three rock samples as point cloud data (text-files), as well the data calculated from the surfaces.

XRD analyses on cuttings samples from IODP Expeditions 338 and 348 (Nankai Trough accretionary prism)

This data publication uses XRD bulk rock analyses carried out on cuttings aboard D/V Chikyu during the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expeditions 338 and 348 of the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) project (Strasser et al, 2014, Tobin et al., 2015). More data on clay minerals in the C0002F and C0002P holes are published by Underwood and Song (2016a and 2016b), and Underwood (2017). These data are supplementary material for Schleicher and Jurado (2019).XRD data of the clay size fraction were analyzed at the University of Michigan, USA, and the GFZ Potsdam, Germany. All XRD analyses of the random powder and texture (oriented) preparation followed the analytical methods described in Moore and Reynolds (1997). Oriented clay size samples were measured under air-dried and glycolated conditions, the latter treatment caused interlayer expansion of swelling clays, allowing the recognition of discrete smectite and mixed-layer smectitic phases. In order to compare the clay mineral content, and the mineral amount relative to the adjacent material, exactly 45 μg of the material was mixed with 1.5 ml deionized water and dropped on a round glass slide (diameter 32 mm). All air-dried samples were measured at a relative humidity (RH) of ~30%, and afterward stored in a desiccator filled with ethylene glycol, in order to investigate the final swelling stage of the smectitic phases.The data are provided as tab delimited table (2019-002_Schleicher-Jurado_XRD-data.txt, see also Table 1 in Schleicher and Jurado, 2019) with the following columns:- Hole: name of the C0002 subhole- Depth (mbsf): depth in meter below surface (mbsf)- Sample (SMW): sample number SMW (solid cuttings taken from drilling mud)- Smectite (int./cps): intensity of smectite in counts per second (cps)- Illite (int./cps): intensity of smectite in counts per second (cps)In addition, the original XRD measurements are provided in raw and text formats (2019-002_Schleicher-Jurado_original-XRD-measurements.zip). All science data from these expeditions are also accesible via the Database of the science data acquired by International Ocean Discovery Program and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program expeditions of D/V Chikyu (http://sio7.jamstec.go.jp/).

A database of analogue models documenting fault reactivation during multiphase extension.

In this dataset we provide top-view photos and perspective photos (to create topographic data, i.e. Digital Elevation Models, DEMs) documenting analogue model deformation. For more details on modelling setup, experimental series Wang et al. (2021), to which this dataset is supplementary material. For details on analogue materials refer to Del Ventisette et al., 2019, Maestrelli et al. (2020). The analogue modelling experiments were carried out at the TOOLab (Tectonic Modelling Laboratory) of the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources of the National Research Council of Italy, Italy, and the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Florence. The laboratory work that produced these data was supported by the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) and by the Joint Research Unit (JRU) EPOS Italia. Additional analysis, following the original work, was supported by the “Monitoring Earth’s Evolution and Tectonics” (MEET) project

Beryllium-10 erosion rate data for hillslope erosion in the Coastal Cordillera, Chile

This data publication is supplementary to a study on the effect of large boulders and bedrock fracture patterns on hillslope denudation rates in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera, by Lodes et al. (submitted). Hillslope denudation rates are primarily determined by tectonic uplift rates, but landscape morphology is also controlled by climate and lithological properties such as bedrock fractures. Fracture patterns can influence the locations of ridges and valleys in landscapes through lowering surface grain sizes in fractured areas, and therefore the residence time of fractured hillslope material, dictating differential denudation rates. In this project, we used 10Be cosmogenic nuclide analysis to quantify the denudation rates of fractured bedrock, boulders, and soil on hillslopes, and compared the orientations of surrounding streams and faults, to understand the effects of fracturing and faulting on denudation rates, fluvial incision, and grain size in three field sites along a climate gradient in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. In the humid and semi-arid climate zones, we found that denudation rates for unfractured bedrock and large hillslope boulders (10 to 15 m Myr-1) are lower than for soil (15 to 20 m Myr-1), indicating that exposed bedrock and boulders retard hillslope denudation rates. In the mediterranean climate zone, hillslope denudation rates are higher (40-140 m Myr-1) and show a less consistent pattern, likely due to steeper slopes. LiDAR-derived stream orientations support a fracture-control on landscape denudation in the three field sites, which we link with fracture density. Together, our results thus provide new insights into how fracture patterns can dictate topographic highs and valleys through grain size reduction. The main objective of this data publication is to provide our 10Be dataset which we used to calculate denudation rates for bedrock, boulders, and soils.

Digital Image Correlation data from oblique convergence experiments with wet kaolin

Experiments of oblique convergence at angles of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees from the margin within wet kaolin. One suite of experiments, denoted as ‘precut’, has a vertical surface precut within the clay with an electrified wire. The precut surface lies directly above the basal oblique dislocation. The other suite of experiments is ‘uncut’. Regardless of whether the experiments have a precut surface, slip partitioned fault systems, develop and persist in the experiments. Such systems have two simultaneously active faults with similar strike but different slip sense. Slip partitioning also develops regardless of whether the system first grows a reverse fault or strike slip fault in the experiment. The sequence and nature of strike-slip and reverse fault development depends on present of existing cut and convergence angle.This data set includes time series of incremental displacement maps for eleven experiments performed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in January 2017 and March 2018 as well as animations of strain and uplift. The dataset includes the 30˚ convergence experiment with precut vertical surface but the 30˚ uncut experiment has not yet been performed. The time series data are organized into 11 netCDF files. The name of each file states the obliquity of convergence and whether the vertical surface was precut or not.Each netCDF file contains the following• ux = the incremental displacement field within the ROI (Region Of Interest) parallel to the margin (x-direction). The third dimension in the array corresponds to increment of deformation through the experiment. Units are mm.• uy = the incremental displacement field within the ROI perpendicular to the margin (y-direction). The third dimension in the array corresponds to increment of deformation through the experiment. Units are mm.• x = position parallel to the margin. Units are mm.• y = position perpendicular to the margin. Units are mm.The incremental displacements are calculated from DIC of photographs taken every 30 seconds using PIVlab (Thielicke, 2019). The net stepper motor speed is ~0.5 mm/min.The animations show strain evolution of all eleven experiments and uplift evolution of the 10 degree precut experiment. The strain evolution experiments overlay colormaps of incremental strain between successive photos on photographs of the experiment. Color saturation indicates the strain rate and hue indicates the slip vector. The uplift maps were made from stereovision analysis from pairs of photos. In most experiments, decorrelation of portions of the map prevented us from producing high quality uplift evolution animations from the start to the end of the experiment. Only the 10 degree convergence with precut vertical surface experiment had full coherence of uplift signal throughout the experiment and that animation.

X-ray Computed Tomography and borehole televiewer images of the Alpine Fault’s hanging-wall, New Zealand: Deep Fault Drilling Project phase 1 (DFDP-1) and Amethyst Hydro Project (AHP)

The orientations and densities of fractures in the foliated hanging-wall of the Alpine Fault provide insights into the role of a mechanical anisotropy in upper crustal deformation, and the extent to which existing models of fault zone structure can be applied to active plate-boundary faults. Three datasets were used to quantify fracture damage at different distances from the Alpine Fault principal slip zones (PSZs): (1) X-ray computed tomography (CT) images of drill-core collected within 25 m of the PSZs during the first phase of the Deep Fault Drilling Project that were reoriented with respect to borehole televiewer (BHTV) images, (2) field measurements from creek sections at <500 m from the PSZs, and (3) CT images of oriented drill-core collected during the Amethyst Hydro Project at distances of ~500-1400 m from the PSZs. Results show that within 160 m of the PSZs in foliated cataclasites and ultramylonites, gouge-filled fractures exhibit a wide range of orientations. At these distances, fractures are interpreted to form at high confining pressures and/or in rocks that have a weak mechanical anisotropy. Conversley, at distances greater than 160 m from the PSZs, fractures are typically open and subparallel to the mylonitic foliation or schistosity, implying that fracturing occurred at low confining pressures and/or in rocks that are mechanically anisotropic. Fracture density is similar across the ~500 m width of the hanging-wall datasets, indicating that the Alpine Fault does not have a typical âdamage zoneâ defined by decreasing fracture density with distance. Instead, we conclude that the ~160 m-wide zone of intensive gouge-filled fractures provides the best estimate for the width of brittle fault-related damage. This estimate is similar to the 60-200 m wide Alpine Fault low-velocity zone detected through fault zone guided waves, indicating that a majority of its brittle damage occurs within its hanging-wall. The data provided here include CT scan 'core logs' for drill-core from both boreholes of the first phase of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP-1A and DFDP-1B) and from the Amethyst Hydro Project (AHP), the code to generate 'unrolled' CT images (which is to be run on imageJ), and an overview image of the integration of unrolled DFDP-1B CT images and BHTV images (DFDP-1B_BHTV-CT-Intergration.pdf). The header for the scan log images indicate 'core run-core section-upper depth-lower depth' for DFDP and 'borehole-core run-core section-upper depth-lower depth' for AHP boreholes. CT scan core logs cover the depth range 67.5-91.1 m in DFDP-1A drill-core and all of DFDP-1B drill-core. A classification of fracture type is given in Williams et al (2016). For DFDP-1 CT scan logs, title of each page labelled by: core run - core section - depth range. For AHP CT scan log, header of each page gives: borehole - core run - core section - depth. These are supplementary material to Williams et al. (submitted), in which a methodology for matching unrolled CT and BHTV images is given in Appendix A.