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| Introduction | Pictures |
Welcome to the Photo Gallery of SFERA.
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Introduction
The following set of pictures tries to provide a short overview of various subjects related to Fractured Rocks, their study and applications in various fields.
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The pictures provide illustrations of the following arguments:
- Fractures in rock outcrops in Nature
Pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 15, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34
- Fractures visualised with various instruments (seismics, log, remote sensing)
Pictures 18, 4
- Analogue deformation experiments of fractured material
Pictures 7, 8, 9, 10, 35 - Numerically simulated computer fracture models
Pictures 8, 11, 12, 13
- Fractures and stress
Pictures 8, 14, 6, 10, 35
- Fractures and energy (hydrocarbons, geothermal energy, nuclear waist)
Pictures 13, 14, 21, 22 - Fractures and hydrology
Pictures 17, 27, 20
- Fractures and environment
Pictures 17, 20, 25, 29, 30
- Fractures and culture
Pictures 16, 31, 32
- Fractures and civil engineering, architecture, material science
Pictures 19, 20
- Fractures and seismic hazards, volcanism, earthquakes, landslides
Pictures 24, 25
- Fractures and mountain climbing, speleology
Pictures 26
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Pictures
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Picture 1
Layered fractured carbonate rocks dissected by a sub-vertical fracture corridor.
Provenance: Petit et al. (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 20, p. 87, Fig. 1. Université de Montpellier, GeoTer, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Universität Karlsruhe, GeoFracNet Project sponsored by Shell, TFE, Enterprise Oil, Eni-Agip. |
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Picture 2
Outcrop of a fracture zone bounded by right-lateral strike-slip faults.
Provenance: Schmidt et al. (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 22, p. 95, Fig. 3. Japan-Vietnam Petroleum Company.
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Picture 3
Complex fault zone structure, comprising stacked decametre-scale lenses of limestone, occupying a highly curved bend on the Mag_laq fault, Malta (displacement >220m).
Provenance: Bonson et al. (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 3, p. 25, Fig. 2, University College of Dublin, Fault Analysis Group. |
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Picture 5
Normal fault in fractured limestone rocks. The rock section along the right side of the fault has been displaced downwards.
Provenance: Private collection ; This Web site |
Picture 6
Fractured chalk with fracture surface interference patterns.
Provenance: This Web site
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Picture 7
Example of non self similar fault growth. Perspective views of a graben produced by analogue modelling. Surfaces were created by linear interpolation between digitised hanging wall and footwall cut-offs of a passive marker (sand/pyrex interface) throughout three increments of deformation.
Provenance: Jean-Marc Daniel et al. (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 6, p. 30, Fig. 1. Institut Français du Pétrole. |
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Picture 8
A stochastic fault network produced by a growth algorithm constrained by a mechanical model. Provenance: Jean-Marc Daniel et al. (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 6, p. 33, Fig. 3. Institut Français du Pétrole.
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Picture 9
Detail of an analogue deformation experiment of fracturing of a multi-layer material.
Provenance: Chemenda et al. (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 5, p. 29. Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Université de Montpellier, GeoFracNet Project, Sponsored by Shell, TFE, Enterprise Oil and Eni-Agip.
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Picture 10
Photoelasticity utilises the ability of some transparent materials to exhibit temporary double refraction (analogous to birefringence in crystals) under an applied load. Analysing loaded samples between crossed-polarisers enables the direct derivation of the stress trajectories and differential stress (from isochromatics) and indirect derivation of the individual stress magnitudes. These properties can be used to analyse the distribution of stress around fault models of imposed geometries in polymer plates. This stress determination can also be done using numerical modelling, but photoelasticity allows the analysis of complex and subtle geometries, such as asperities on real fractures, and permits propagation of the faults.
Provenance: Web site of the GeoFracNet Project, Université de Montpellier, sponsored by Shell, TFE, Enterprise, Eni-Agip. |
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Picture 11
Computer model of three sets of fractures inside a cubic model. The fractures were generated by the computer using input constrains like shape, dimension, density, and spatial distribution for each fracture set.
Provenance: Golder Associates, Fracman User Guide |
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Picture 12
Computer model of a fold structure with fracture sets inside. The fractures were generated by the computer using shape, size, density, and distribution relative to the fold geometry parameters such as axial plane, layering and flanks orientation.
Provenance: This website
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Picture 13
Pressure changes in response to a well test simulated in a fracture network model consisting of major faults (based on fracture maps of the Alpine fault in New Zealand) and stochastic background fractures.
Provenance: Thomas Doe (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 10, p. 55, Fig. 4; Golder Associates, Seattle.
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Picture 14
Lower hemispheric projection of poles to fracture planes observed from image data in a wellbore. The white poles indicate the fractures that are critically stressed in the current stress field and are – by definition with the concept presented here – hydraulically conductive. The black poles indicate fractures that are not critically stressed in the current stress field and, thus, are hydraulically non-conductive. Therefore, productivity can be enhanced if future wellbores are drilled such that they intersect the majority of the critically stress fractures - in other words drilled toward the north-west with an average deviation of 70º. The colors superimposed on the diagram indicate the proximity to failure (i.e., critically stressed), which is expressed in two ways: 1) through the Coulomb Failure Function (CFF; left color bar) or through the ratio of pore pressure (Pp) versus the overburden stress (Sv) (right color bar). Fractures are critically stressed when either CFF &Mac179; 0 or Pp/Sv &Mac178; 0.3. The two arrows at the perimeter of the diagram indicate the current direction of the maximum principal horizontal stress (SHmax).
Provenance: Finkbeiner et al. (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 11, p. 58, Fig. 1. Geomechanics International Inc.
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Picture 18
Porosity model overlaid on a 3D seismic depth slice at 3300 meters sub-sea. Porosity is enhanced between closely spaced faults.
Provenance: Schmidt et al. (2002); SFERA Abstracts Volume, Paper 22, p. 95, Fig. 4. Japan-Vietnam Petroleum Company.
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Picture 19
Quarry in highly porous Miocene bioclastic limestones (Cerratina, Abruzzo Region, Italy). Note the fracture swarms on the pavement and walls of the quarry. These structures represent the fracture network, determine localisations of karsism and their impact on the recovery percentage of the limestones during the exploitation can be appreciated.
Provenance: Private collection; This website.
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Picture 21
Hydrocarbon bearing fractures in a porous limestone (Abruzzo Region, Italy). The fractures, arranged in bundles, sweat drops of asphalt, which reflects the difference in permeability between porous matrix of the limestones and the fracture planes. Length of the image: about 1 m.
Provenance: Private collection; This website
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Picture 26
Mountain climbing along a fracture plane in limestones.
Provenance: Private collection
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Picture 30
Seismically active fault plane (central Apennines).
Provenance: Private collection; This web site
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Picture 31
Fractured sculpture. The fracture through the sculpture is guided by pre-existing fractures and defects within the rock.
Provenance: Castle of Celano Museum (Abruzzo, Italy)
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Picture 32
Sculpture in fractured marbles; The sculpture, representing the struggle between the Monster “Scilla” and Ulisse, has been fractured along newly formed and pre-existing fractures within the marbles, and reassembled after it was found in fragments near the village of Sperlonga (southern Italy).
Provenance: This Web site
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Picture 35
Mud cracks. The fracture pattern generated during the drying up of the mud reflects an isotropic volume loss and extension in the horizontal plane, representing a mandarin-shaped stress ellipse.
Provenance: Private collection; This web site
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