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Tectonic interpretation of the connectivity of a multiscale fracture system in limestone
Author(s) -
Lei Qinghua,
Wang Xiaoguang
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl067277
Subject(s) - geology , tectonics , fracture (geology) , fractal , fractal dimension , percolation theory , seismology , paleontology , mathematics , topology (electrical circuits) , mathematical analysis , combinatorics
This paper studies the statistics and tectonism of a multiscale natural fracture system in limestone. The fracture network exhibits a self‐similar characteristic with a correlation between its power law length exponent a and fractal dimension D , i.e., a ≈ D + 1. Contradicting the scale‐invariant connectivity of idealized self‐similar systems, the percolation state of trace patterns mapped at different scales and localities of the study area varies significantly, from well to poorly connected. A tectonic interpretation based on a polyphase fracture network evolution history is proposed to explain this discrepancy. We present data to suggest that the driving force for fracture formation may be dissipated at the end of a tectonic event when the system becomes connected. However, the “effective” connectivity can successively be reduced by cementation of early fractures and reestablished by subsequent cracking, rendering a variable “apparent” connectivity that can be significantly above the percolation threshold.