Current Research
Failure Modes
Faults
Folds
Earthquake Geology
Fluid Flow
Planetary Structure
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Current Research
Research up to 2001
Publication List
Structural Heterogeneities
and Paleo-Fluid Flow
in an Analogue Sandstone Reservoir
Principal Investigators: D. D. Pollard and A. Aydin
Students and post doctoral fellow: Kurt Sternlof, Ramil Ahmadov, and Ghislain de Joussineau
Sponsor: US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences: DE-FG02-04ER15588
Description: This integrated project is designed to develop conceptual and mechanical models for the evolution of structural heterogeneities in the Jurassic Aztec Sandstone at Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, and to assess their effects on fluid flow in an analog groundwater and/or hydrocarbon reservoir. The structural heterogeneities include joints, sheared joints, slip surfaces, deformation bands of shear and compaction types, and large faults with lateral slip up to 2 km. The faults typically occur in two sets with consistent orientations and intersection angle in hierarchical manner. The individual fault zones evolve over time with increasing complexity. We study their, internal architecture, distribution, and measure their geometric and hydraulic properties to serve as input parameters for numerical fluid flow and mechanical models. The results so far show that these structures can substantially impede or enhance fluid flow through an otherwise porous and permeable rock.

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Selected Publications:

Eichhubl, P., Taylor, W. L., Pollard, D. D., and Aydin, A., 2004, Paleo-fluid flow and deformation in the Aztec Sandstone at the Valley Of Fire Nevada-Evidence for the coupling of hydrogeological, diagenetic, and tectonic processes. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 116, p. 1120 -1136. doi:10.1130/B25446.1.

Flodin, E. A. and Aydin, A., 2004, Evolution of a strike-slip fault network, Valley of Fire, southern Nevada. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 116, no. 1/2, p. 42-59, DOI 10.1130/B25282.1.

Flodin, E. A., Durlofsky, L. J. and Aydin, A., 2004, Upscaled models of flow and transport in faulted sandstone: Boundary condition effects and explicit fracture modeling. Petroleum Geoscience, v. 10, n. 2, p. 173-181.

Sternlof, K., Chapin, J., Pollard, D.D. and Durlofsky, L.J. 2004, Effective permeability in sandstone containing deformation band arrays: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 88, p. 1315-1329.
Former students and post doctoral fellows who worked for this project:
Rod Myers, Lans Taylor, Jeff Chapin, Eric Flodin, Nick Davatzes, and Herve Jourde.