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Scale selection in columnar jointing: Insights from experiments on cooling stearic acid and numerical simulations
Author(s) -
Christensen Amalie,
Raufaste Christophe,
Misztal Marek,
Celestini Franck,
Guidi Maria,
Ellegaard Clive,
Mathiesen Joachim
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: solid earth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.983
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 2169-9356
pISSN - 2169-9313
DOI - 10.1002/2015jb012465
Subject(s) - scale (ratio) , stearic acid , function (biology) , finite element method , selection (genetic algorithm) , fracture (geology) , mechanics , materials science , computer simulation , mathematics , composite material , structural engineering , computer science , physics , engineering , biology , quantum mechanics , evolutionary biology , artificial intelligence
Many natural fracture systems are characterized by a single length scale, which is the distance between neighboring fractures. Examples are mud cracks and columnar jointing. In columnar jointing the origin of this scale has been a long‐standing issue. Here we present a comprehensive study of columnar jointing based on experiments on cooling stearic acids, numerical simulations using both discrete and finite element methods and basic analytical calculations. We show that the diameter of columnar joints is a nontrivial function of the material properties and the cooling conditions of the system. We determine the shape of this function analytically and show that it is in agreement with the experiments and the numerical simulations.