About this title - The Internal Structure of Fault Zones: Implications for Mechanical and Fluid-Flow Properties
Faults are primary focuses of both fluid migration and deformationin the upper crust. The recognition that faults are typicallyheterogeneous zones of deformed material, not simple discretefractures, has fundamental implications for the way geoscientistspredict fluid migration in fault zones, as well as leading tonew concepts in understanding seismic/aseismic strain accommodation.This book captures current research into understanding the complexitiesof fault-zone internal structure, and their control on mechanicaland fluid-flow properties of the upper crust. A wide varietyof approaches are presented, from geological field studies andlaboratory analyses of fault-zone and fault-rock propertiesto numerical fluid-flow modelling, and from seismological dataanalyses to coupled hydraulic and rheological modelling. Thepublication aims to illustrate the importance of understandingfault-zone complexity by integrating such diverse approaches,and its impact on the rheological and fluid-flow behaviour offault zones in different contexts.
