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Steady state flow of rocks
Author(s) -
Carter Neville L.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg014i003p00301
Subject(s) - geology , strain rate , creep , crust , diapir , mechanics , mantle (geology) , geophysics , volumetric flow rate , mineralogy , materials science , tectonics , physics , composite material , seismology
Experimentally determined steady state flow properties and processes of important rock‐forming materials are reviewed in reference to those of metals and ceramics and to physical conditions in the earth's crust and upper mantle. Dislocation motion controls the creep rate over a wide range of steady state conditions in the experiments, and the observation that the same processes have operated during natural deformations permits extrapolations of the mechanical data. Under these conditions, strain rate is related to stress raised to the power 2–9, depending on the material and conditions, and the resulting flow stresses and equivalent viscosities are compared at a representative geological strain rate of 10 −14 /s. The results are applied in brief discussions of diapirism, growth of folds, and flow in the upper mantle.