Fracture-controlled paleohydrology in a map-scale detachment fold: Insights from the analysis of fluid inclusions in calcite and quartz veins

Fischer, Mark P.; Higuera-Díaz, I. Camilo; Evans, Mark A.; Perry, Eugene C.; Lefticariu, Liliana

doi:10.1016/j.jsg.2009.09.004

Cited by 69 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…1) provide an opportunity to reconstruct fracture opening and fluid flow. It has been shown that progressive folding above the regional evaporite décollement involved fracturing and concomitant increased hydraulic communication between strata (Lefticariu et al 2005;Fischer et al 2009); similar findings were made for salt-detached folds in the Appalachian basin (Evans et al 2012). …”

supporting

confidence: 52%

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Fracturing and fluid flow in a sub-décollement sandstone; or, a leak in the basement

Hooker

Larson

Eakin

et al. 2015

JGS

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Crack-seal texture within fracture cements in the Triassic El Alamar Formation, NE Mexico, shows that the fractures opened during precipitation of quartz cements; later, overlapping calcite cements further occluded pore space. Previous workers defined four systematic fracture sets, A (oldest) to D (youngest), with relative timing constrained by crosscutting relationships. Quartz fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures are higher within Set B (148 ± 20°C) than in Set C (105 ± 12°C). These data and previous burial history modelling are consistent with Set C forming during exhumation. Fluid inclusions in Set C quartz have higher salinity than those in Set B (22.9 v. 14.2 wt% NaCl equivalent, respectively), and Set C quartz cement is more enriched in 18 O (20.2 v. 18.7‰ VSMOW). Under most assumptions about the true temperature during fracture opening, the burial duration, the amount of cement precipitated and fluid-flow patterns, it appears that the fracture fluid became depleted in 18 O and enriched in 13 C. This isotopic evolution, combined with increasing salinity, suggests that throughout fracture opening there was a gravity-driven influx of fluid from upsection Jurassic evaporites, which form a regional décollement. Fracture opening amid downward fluid motion suggests that fracturing was driven by external stresses such as tectonic stretching or unloading, rather than increases in fluid pressure.

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supporting

confidence: 52%

“…In principle, the pressure correction to add to T h could be as low as zero, in the case of gas-saturated fluid during trapping (Fischer et al 2009;Fall et al 2012), or as high as 87°C (Set B) or 72°C (Set C), in the case of lithostatic pore fluid pressure at 7 km …”

Section: Estimating T Tmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fracturing and fluid flow in a sub-décollement sandstone; or, a leak in the basement

Hooker

Larson

Eakin

et al. 2015

JGS

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“…Fluid fl ow and solute transport are important in some natural fracture systems (Evans, 1995;Eichhubl et al, 2004;Fischer et al, 2009;Bell and Bowen, 2014). The spatial distribution of quartz cement in fractures, however, appears to be inconsistent with the solutes being derived primarily by large-scale advection through the fracture network.…”

Section: Silica Sourcementioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into rates of fracture growth and sealing from a model for quartz cementation in fractured sandstones

Lander¹,

Laubach

2014

Geological Society of America Bulletin

172

194

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A new model accounts for crystal growth patterns and internal textures in quartz cement in sandstone fractures, including massive sealing deposits, thin rinds or veneers that line open fracture surfaces, and bridge structures that span otherwise open fractures. High-resolution cathodoluminescence imaging of bridge structures and massive sealing deposits indicates that they form in association with repeated micron-scale fracturing of growing quartz crystals, whereas thin rinds do not. Model results indicate that the three morphology types develop in response to (1) the ratio of the rates of quartz growth to fracture opening and (2) the substantially faster growth rate that occurs on noneuhedral surfaces in certain crystallographic orientations compared to euhedral crystal faces. Rind morphologies develop when the fracture opening rate exceeds two times the fastest rate of quartz growth (along the c axis on noneuhedral surfaces) because growing crystals develop slow-growing euhedral faces. Massive sealing, on the other hand, develops where the net rate of fracture opening is less than twice the rate of quartz growth on euhedral faces because all quartz growth surfaces along the fracture wall seal the fracture between fracturing events. Bridge structures form at fracture opening rates that are intermediate between the massive sealing and rind cases and are associated with crystallographic orientations that allow growth to span the fracture between fracturing events. Subsequent fractures break the spanned crystal, introducing new, fastgrowing noneuhedral growth surfaces where quartz grows more rapidly compared to the euhedral faces of nonspanning crystals. As the ratio of fracture opening to quartz growth rate increases, the proportion of overgrowths that span the fracture decreases, and the range in c-axis orientations for these crystals comes progressively closer to perpendicular to the fracture wall until the maximum spanning limit is reached. Simulation results also reproduce "stretched crystal," "radiator structure," and "elongate blocky" textures in metamorphic quartz veins.The model replicates a well-characterized quartz bridge from the Cretaceous Travis Peak Formation as well as quartz cement abundances, internal textures, and morphologies in the sandstone host rock and fracture zone using the same kinetic parameters while honoring fl uid-inclusion and thermal-history constraints. The same fundamental driving forces, in both in the host rock and fracture system, are responsible for quartz cementation, with the only signifi cant difference within the fracture zone being the creation of new pore space as well as new noneuhedral surfaces for cases where overgrowths span fractures between fracturing events. Rates of fracture growth and sealing may be inferred from fracture cement textures using model results.

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“…Fractures are generally confined to the 30 cm-thick layer studied and dip steeply with respect to layering. Fractures within the Sierra Madre Oriental have been attributed to passive-margin gravitational sliding perpendicular to the Cupido platform (Hooker et al 2002) or to Late Cretaceous -Cenozoic Laramide folding (Fischer et al 2009;Fig. 3).…”

Section: Upper Cretaceous Agua Nueva Formation (An)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of diagenesis (cement precipitation) during fracture opening on fracture aperture-size scaling in carbonate rocks

Hooker

Gomez

Laubach

et al. 2012

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A correlation is demonstrated between the presence of crack-seal texture and power-law kinematic aperture-size (width) distributions among opening-mode fractures in rocks of dominantly carbonate mineralogy. Crack-seal opening increments (opening-displacement increment sizes or ‘gaps’) within individual fractures follow narrow normal or log-normal size distributions, suggesting that fracture widening accumulates in characteristic (usually micrometre-scale) size increments. The scale invariance in overall fracture width distributions present in some fracture sets most likely arises from grouping of these increments (localization) to form larger fractures (millimetre- to centimetre-scale widths). Such localization could be a consequence of the tendency for larger, less cemented fractures to break preferentially during subsequent deformation. Cement accumulation patterns thus provide a mechanism for positive feedback whereby large-fracture growth exceeds small-fracture growth. Using characteristically sized growth increments, a fracture growth model accurately simulates fracture arrays having power-law fracture-width distributions. Model parameters can be altered to produce characteristic-width fracture size distributions. The results have implications for how fracture porosity and permeability evolve in carbonate reservoirs.

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Fracture-controlled paleohydrology in a map-scale detachment fold: Insights from the analysis of fluid inclusions in calcite and quartz veins

Cited by 69 publications

References 49 publications

Fracturing and fluid flow in a sub-décollement sandstone; or, a leak in the basement

Fracturing and fluid flow in a sub-décollement sandstone; or, a leak in the basement

Insights into rates of fracture growth and sealing from a model for quartz cementation in fractured sandstones

Effects of diagenesis (cement precipitation) during fracture opening on fracture aperture-size scaling in carbonate rocks

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