FRACTURE AND ITS ORIGIN

Contents
Fracture
Characteristics of Fracture
Importance of Fracture
Types of Fracture
Origin

FRACTURE
Is defined by Twiss and Moores (1992) assurfaces along which rocks or minerals
have broken, they are therefore surfaces across which the material has lost
cohesion

Characteristics of Fracture
According to Pollard & Aydia (1988)
Fracture have two parallel surfaces that meet at the fracture front
Surfaces are approximately planar
The relative displacement of originally adjacent points across the fractures is small
compared to the fracture length.

Importance of Studying Fractures

To understand the nature and sequence of deformation in an area
To find out relationship between joints and faults and or folds.
Help to find out the brittle deformation in an area of construction (dams,
bridges, and power plants).
In mineral exploration to find out the trend and type of fractures and joints
that host mineralization which will help in exploration.
Joint and fractures serve as the plumping system for ground water flow in
many area and they are the only routes by which ground water can move
through igneous and metamorphic rocks
Joints and fractures porosity and permeability is very important for water
supplies and hydrocarbon reservoirs
Joints orientations in road cuts greatly affect both construction and
maintenance. Those oriented parallel to or dip into a highway cut become
hazardous during construction and later because they provide potential
movement surfaces

Types of Fracture
Systematic
Non-systematic
Non-Systematic
Irregular and curved
Fracture meets but do not cross
others
Are curved and terminate at
bedding surface
Develop in weathering zone
Curvelinear pattern is their general
characteristics

Systematic Fractures
Planar and more regular in
distribution
Shear Fracture
May or may not exhibits
shear displacement
Developed in conjugate
sets with dihedral angle
2i > 45
Dilational Fracture
From tensile origin
Developed perpendicular
to the bedding plane
Open fractures with no
evidence of shear
movement
Hybrid Fracture
Exhibit features of both
shear and dilational origin

Fracture

Vein

Dyke
Sill

Fault

Origin of Fracture

Deformation
All changes in the original shape and/or size of a rock body

Concept of Structural Geology

Study of response (strain) of rock to stress

Stress and Strain

Stress is a force acting on a material that produces a strain.
Strain is a change in size, shape, or volume of a material

Types of Stress
Compressional Stress
Tensional Stress
Shear Stress

Compressional Stress

Convergent continental crusts

Action of coincident oppositely directed forces
acting towards each other
squeezed or shortened.
Mountain Belts
Thrust fault

Tensional Stress
Examples

Divergent continental crust

Action of coincident oppositely directed

forces acting away from each other
Elongates
Normal Fault

Shear Stress

Action of coincident oppositely

directed forces acting parallel to each
other across a surface causing the
body of rock to be distorted

Successive Stages of Deformation

Elastic Deformation wherein

the strain is reversible
Plastic Deformation wherein
the strain is irreversible
Fracture irreversible strain
wherein the material breaks

Types of Deformation
Two classes depending on their relative
behavior under stress.
Brittle small or large region of elastic
behavior but only a small region of ductile
behavior before they fracture
Ductile small region of elastic behavior and
a large region of ductile behavior before they
fracture

Brittle Deformation (Rupture)

Loss of cohesion of a body under the

influence of deforming stress

Usually occurs along sub-planar surfaces

that separate zones of coherent material

When the strength of a rock is exceeded

Near the surface conditions

Relatively low pressure and temperatures

Factors Affecting Deformation

Temperature At low
temperature rocks tends to be
more brittle
Pressure At low pressure rocks
will be brittle and tend to fracture
sooner
Strain rate (Time) At high strain
rates rocks tends to fracture
Composition some minerals like
quartz, olivine, and feldspars are
very brittle
Water Dry rocks tends to
behave in brittle manner
Elastic and brittle near the earths
surface

Brittle-Ductile Properties of the Lithosphere

Crustal rocks are low pressure and

temperature rocks which makes
them behave in brittle manner. As
we go deeper in the Earth the
rocks tend to behave in a ductile
manner due to increase in
pressure and temperature with
depth.