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Percolation in the Crust
Author(s) -
Gavrilenko P.,
Gueguen Y.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.1989.tb00327.x
Subject(s) - percolation (cognitive psychology) , crust , geology , percolation threshold , anisotropy , fracture (geology) , percolation theory , electrical resistivity and conductivity , conductivity , mechanics , geophysics , geotechnical engineering , physics , optics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , biology
Considering the Earth's Crust as a heterogeneous medium, we show here that the general features of the seismic, electrical, and mechanical properties of the Crust can be conveniently described with a unified model derived from percolation theory. The basic assumption is that fracture density is a variable parameter which decreases with depth and as a result there exists a critical threshold below which fractures are only connected within finite clusters. This threshold corresponds to a critical fracture density and to a critical depth. Fluids circulate through a connected network of fractures down to the critical depth Z c . Below Z c , anisotropic fracture clusters result in seismic reflectors and high electrical conductivity. Earthquakes are restricted to depths shallower than Z c , where friction controls the mechanical resistance to fluid infiltrated pre‐existing fractures.