AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Editors' Highlight

A new model shows how layering facilitates rock deformation

In the laboratory, rocks compressed at high temperatures and pressures can elongate and fold over a broad area without experiencing brittle cracks. However, field observations show that even at conditions that lead to widespread ductile deformation in the laboratory, natural deformation can be localized. Noting that rock structures tend to be layered in areas of the continental crust experiencing ductile deformation, Montési (2007) developed a theoretical model to estimate rock strength at different degrees of layer development. The model captures the fact that layered rocks are weaker and more prone to deformation than nonlayered rocks when subjected to shear loading. Inspired by laboratory experiments in which ductility is facilitated by fracture in strong grains separating weaker minerals, the model also describes the progressive development of layers under specific loading scenarios. The author expects that through this model, a better understanding of rock deformation can be applied to tracing the structural evolution of geologic features and predicting the future behavior of rocks in fault zones.

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