Fractal Characteristics of Fault Structures and Their Use for Mapping Ore-prospecting Potential in the Qitianling Area, Southern Hunan Province, China

Quantitative analyses of the spatial distribution of fault structures can provide a theoretical basis for forecasting prospective ore deposits. Characteristics and complexity of fault structure distribution in the Qitianling area, Southern Hunan Province, China, were quantitatively calculated and appraised by fractal and multifractal methods to evaluate the relation between fault structures and ore-prospecting potential. The results show that the lengths of faults can be modeled as multifractals. Multifractal spectra evidently reflect the characteristics of the scaling of fault structures. The box- counting dimension value （D） of fault structures is equal to 1.656, as indicates complexity of the spatial distribution of faults and favorable structural conditions for the formation of ore deposits. Moreover, the D values of sub-regions were calculated and isopleths of their fractal dimension values were plotted accordingly. Overlay analyses of isopleths of fractal dimension values and distributions of known ore deposits show that areas with the larger fractal dimension values of fault structures have more ore deposits. This spatial coupling relationship between D values and ore deposits can be used to forecast and explore other ore deposits. On the basis of complexity theory for ore-forming systems, three exploration targets with high D values were delineated as prospective ore deposits.

Advances in seismological methods for characterizing fault zone structure

Large earthquakes frequently occur along complex fault systems.Understanding seismic rupture and long-term fault evolution requires constraining the geometric and material properties of fault zone structures.We provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in seismological methods used to study fault zone structures,including seismic tomography,fault zone seismic wave analysis,and seismicity analysis.Observational conditions limit our current ability to fully characterize fault zones,for example,insufficient imaging resolution to discern small-scale anomalies,incomplete capture of crucial fault zone seismic waves,and limited precision in event location accuracy.Dense seismic arrays can overcome these limitations and enable more detailed investigations of fault zone structures.Moreover,we present new insights into the structure of the Anninghe-Xiaojiang fault zone in the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau based on data collected from a dense seismic array.We found that utilizing a dense seismic array can identify small-scale features within fault zones,aiding in the interpretation of fault zone geometry and material properties.

A new numerical well testing approach: Application to characterization of complex fault structures

Fluid flow in hydrocarbon reservoirs and consequently optimum scenario for hydrocarbon production,is heavily influenced by reservoir heterogeneities.Faults are one of the most common types of heterogeneity found in reservoirs.Leaky faults,baffles(limited extent faults)and complex multiple fault geometries are among the most complicated and important types of faults that are difficult to characterize.Leaky faults,unlike the sealing faults,are in partial communication with other portions of the reservoir.Because of faults'effect on reservoir connectivity and possible infill drilling plan for accessing all parts of the reservoirs,possible communication across the fault must be precisely modeled.In order to detect the effect of a fault on communication within the reservoir,we need to analyze dynamic data.There are a few analytical methods for modelling partially communicating faults,however,these methods may not be accurate enough and may be limited in application,especially in complex situations.Numerical methods(i.e.finite difference or finite element)are also not computationally economical when a large number of grid blocks are simulated.In the current work,the Fast Marching Method(FMM)is applied to effectively mimic fluid flow in the heterogeneous areas,such as complex faults.It is shown that FMM can capture the effect of different fault configurations on the bottom hole pressure and is also able to capture different linear,radial and spherical flows.

Internal structures and high-velocity frictional properties of Longmenshan fault zone at Shenxigou activated during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

This paper reports internal structures of a wide fault zone at Shenxigou,Dujiangyan,Sichuan province,China,and high-velocity frictional properties of the fault gouge collected near the coseismic slip zone during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.Vertical offset and horizontal displacement at the trench site were 2.8 m（NW side up）and 4.8 m（right-lateral）,respectively.The fault zone formed in Triassic sandstone,siltstone,and shale about 500 m away from the Yingxiu-Beichuan fault,a major fault in the Longmenshan fault system.A trench survey across the coseismic fault,and observations of outcrops and drill cores down to a depth of 57 m revealed that the fault zone consists of fault gouge and fault breccia of about0.5 and 250-300 m in widths,respectively,and that the fault strikes N62°E and dips 68° to NW.Quaternary conglomerates were recovered beneath the fault in the drilling,so that the fault moved at least 55 m along the coseismic slip zone,experiencing about 18 events of similar sizes.The fault core is composed of grayish gouge（GG） and blackish gouge（BG） with very complex slip-zone structures.BG contains low-crystalline graphite of about 30 %.High-velocity friction experiments were conducted at normal stresses of 0.6-2.1 MPa and slip rates of 0.1-2.1 m/s.Both GG and BG exhibit dramatic slip weakening at constant high slip rates that can be described as an exponential decay from peak friction coefficient lpto steadystate friction coefficient lssover a slip-weakening distance Dc.Deformation of GG and BG is characterized by overlapped slip-zone structures and development of sharp slickenside surfaces,respectively.Comparison of our data with those reported for other outcrops indicates that the high-velocity frictional properties of the Longmenshan fault zones are quite uniform and the high-velocity weakening must have promoted dynamic rupture propagation during the Wenchuan earthquake.

Dynamic Analysis of Deformational Structures of the Xianniishan Fault Zone in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River

Field investigation and laboratory work reveal that inhomogeneity of the deformation of the Xiannushan fault is mainly characterized by lateral zonation, longitudinal segmentation and downward stratification. Based on these results, a 3-D deformational structure model of the fault was established and its geometrical and kinematic characteristics in two main deformational stages i.e. the main Yanshanian and Himalayan were discussed. The directions of principal and the differential stresses in these two stages were determined by using conjugate joints, striations of fault planes and microstructures of the fault zone. The direction of σI is N-S in direction with differential stresses of 150-250 MPa in the Yanshanian, and N70E with a differential stress ranging from 80-120 MPa in the Himalayan.

Electrical Structure and Fault Features of Crust and Upper Mantle beneath the Western Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:Evidence from the Magnetotelluric Survey along Zhada-Quanshui Lake Profile

The magnetotelluric （MT） survey along the Zhada （札达）-Quanshui （泉水） Lake profile on the western margin of the Qinghai （青海）-Tibet plateau shows that the study area is divided into three tectonic provinces by the Yalung Tsangpo and Bangong （班公）-Nujiang （怒江） sutures. From south to north these are the Himalayan terrane, Gangdise terrane, and Qiangtang （羌塘） terrane. For the study area, there are widespread high-conductivity layers in the mid and lower crust, the top layers of which fluctuate intensively. The high-conductivity layer within the Gangdise terrane is deeper than those within the Qiangtang terrane and the Himalaya terrane, and the deepest high-conductivity layer is to the south of the Bangong-Nujiang suture. The top surface of the high-conductivity layer in the south of the Bangong-Nujiang suture is about 20 km lower than that in the north of it. The high-conductivity layer within the Gangdise terrane dips toward north and there are two high-conductivity layers within the crust of the southern Qiangtang terrane. In the upper crust along the profile, there are groups of lateral electrical gradient zones or distortion zones of different scales and occurrence indicating the distribution of faults and sutures along the profile. According to the electrical structure, the structural characteristics and space distribution of the Yalung Tsangpo suture, Bangong.Nujiang suture, and the major faults of Longmucuo （龙木错） and Geerzangbu are inferred.

Development characteristics of the fault system and its control on basin structure, Bodong Sag, East China

The Bodong Sag,located in the Bohai Sea,offshore China,is one of the most petroliferous basins in China.Based on three dimensional seismic reflection data and time slice data,we analyze the fault system of the Bodong area in detail,establish the fault structure pattern of different types and summarize the distribution of the fault system.It is concluded that the development characteristics of the Cenozoic fault system are in accordance with the dextral stress field of the Tanlu Fault,which displayed a brush structure with NNE strike-slip faults as its principal faults,NE-trending extensional faults as secondary faults and EW-trending faults as minor faults.Faults can be divided into （1） strike-slip type,（2） extensional type,（3） strike-slip extensional type and （4） extensional strike-slip type.The spatial structures of different faults have obvious differences because of the fault properties and activity intensity.The fault system at different stages shows tremendous differences because of the transition of the Tanlu Fault from sinistral strike-slip to dextral strike-slip,the transition between extension and strike-slip,and the transition from mantle upwelling to thermal subsidence.According to the controlling effect of faults on basin structure,the Cenozoic basin experienced four evolutionary stages,（a） transition stage from sinistral strike-slip to dextral strike-slip,（b） strike-slip extensional faulted stage,（c） extensional strike-slip faulted stage and （d） strike-slip depression stage.The identification of temporal and spatial differences of faults could be used as a significant guideline for oil and gas exploration in the Bodong area.

New Recognition about Faulted Structures in Tarim Basin

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New approach for the digital reconstruction of complex mine faults and its application in mining

Visualization of complex geological structures can technically support the accurate prediction and prevention of coal mine disasters.This study proposed a new digital reconstruction method to visualize geological structures based on establishing a virtual model in the digital twin system.This methodology for the digital reconstruction of complex fault structures comprises the following four aspects:(1)collection and fdelity of multi-physical feld data of the fault structures,(2)the transmission of multi-physical feld data,(3)the normalization of multi-physical feld data,and(4)digital model reconstruction of fault structures.The key scientifc issues of this methodology to be resolved include in situ fdelity of multi-feld data and normalized programming of multi-source data.In addition,according to the geological background and conditions in Da’anshan coal mine in western Beijing,China,a preliminary attempt is made to reconstruct a digital model of fault and fold structures using the methodology proposed in this study.

Study on fault-controlled hydrocarbon migration and accumulation process and models in Zhu I Depression

Through the analysis of the faults and their internal structure in Zhu I Depression,it is found that the internal structure of the late fault is obviously segmented vertically.It develops unitary structure(simple fault plane)in shallow layers,binary structure(induced fracture zone in hanging wall and sliding fracture zone in footwall)in middle,layers and ternary structure(induced fracture zone in hanging wall and sliding fracture zone in middle,and induced fracture zone in footwall)in deep layers.Because the induced fracture zone is a high porosity and permeability zone,and the sliding fracture zone is a low porosity and ultra-low permeability zone,the late fault in middle layers has the character of"transporting while sealing".The late fault can transport hydrocarbon by its induced fracture zone in the side of the hanging wall and seal hydrocarbon by its sliding fracture zone in the side of the footwall.In deep layers,the late fault has the character of"dual-transportation",induced fracture zones in both sides of hanging wall and footwall can transport hydrocarbon.The early fault that only developed in the deep layers is presumed to be unitary structure,which plays a completely sealing role in the process of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation due to inactivity during the hydrocarbon filling period.Controlled by hydrocarbon source,early/late faults,sand bodies and traps,two reservoir-forming models of"inverted L"and"stereo-spiral"can be proposed in middle layers,while two reservoir-forming models of"cross fault"and"lateral fault sealing"are developed in the deep layers of Zhu I Depression.

Ore-controlling effect of structure and distribution of deep rock mass on Pb-Zn deposit in Qingchengzi ore concentration area,Liaoning

Qingchengzi ore concentration area in Liao-Ji rift is an important lead-zinc ore area of China,and the deep prospecting in this area has great prospects.Based on the spatial occurrence of ore bodies the Pb-Zn deposit can be divided into three types:layered,vein-shaped and pinnate.The deep geological conditions in this area are deduced by analyzing the tectonic evolution process and rock mass gravity inversion.The tectonic evolution of Liao-Ji rift can be divided into three stages:Paleoproterozoic extension period,Mesoproterozoic compression period and Mesozoic reactivation period.The magmatic activities in the Indosinian epoch led to the distribution pattern of the present deposits.According to the gravity inversion,Shuangdinggou-and Xinling rock masses on the north and south sides of the mining area are connected in the deep.The connected rock body might be distributed in the entire mining area.Xinling rock mass may be a branch extending from Shuangdinggou rock mass along the northeast trending fault,the connected rocks provide magmatic hydrothermal fluid for the final,folds and faults result in different types of ore body shapes.

Recent advances in imaging crustal fault zones: a review

Crustal faults usually have a fault core and surrounding regions of brittle damage, forming a low-velocity zone （LVZ） in the immediate vicinity of the main slip interface. The LVZ may amplify ground motion, influence rupture propagation, and hold important information of earthquake physics. A number of geophysical and geodetic methods have been developed to derive high-resolution structure of the LVZ. Here, I review a few recent approaches, including ambient noise cross-correlation on dense across-fault arrays and GPS recordings of fault-zone trapped waves. Despite the past efforts, many questions concerning the LVZ structure remain unclear, such as the depth extent of the LVZ. High-quality data from larger and denser arrays and new seismic imaging technique using larger portion of recorded waveforms, which are currently under active development, may be able to better resolve the LVZ structure. In addition, effects of the alongstrike segmentation and gradational velocity changes across the boundaries between the LVZ and the host rock on rupture propagation should be investigated by conducting comprehensive numerical experiments. Furthermore, high-quality active sources such as recently developed large-volume airgun arrays provide a powerful tool to continuously monitor temporal changes of fault-zone properties, and thus can advance our understanding of fault zone evolution.

Characteristics of fault zones and their control on remaining oil distribution at the fault edge: a case study from the northern Xingshugang Anticline in the Daqing Oilfield, China

Most major oil zones in the Daqing Oilfield have reached a later,high water cut stage,but oil recovery is still only approximately 35%,and 50%of reserves remain to be recovered.The remaining oil is primarily distributed at the edge of faults,in poor sand bodies,and in insufficiently injected and produced areas.Therefore,the edge of faults is a major target for remaining oil enrichment and potential tapping.Based on the dynamic change of production from development wells determined by the injection-recovery relationship at the edge of faults,we analyzed the control of structural features of faults on remaining oil enrichment at the edge.Our results show that the macroscopic structural features and their geometric relationship with sand bodies controlled remaining oil enrichment zones like the edges of NNE-striking faults,the footwalls of antithetic faults,the hard linkage segments（two faults had linked together with each other to form a bigger through-going fault）,the tips of faults,and the oblique anticlines of soft linkages.Fault edges formed two types of forward microamplitude structures：（1） the tilted uplift of footwalls controlled by inverse fault sections and（2） the hanging-wall horizontal anticlines controlled by synthetic fault points.The remaining oil distribution was controlled by microamplitude structures.Consequently,such zones as the tilted uplift of the footwall of the NNW-striking antithetic faults with a fault throw larger than 40 m,the hard linkage segments,the tips of faults,and the oblique anticlines of soft linkage were favorable for tapping the remaining oil potential.Multi-target directional drilling was used for remaining oil development at fault edges.Reasonable fault spacing was determined on the basis of fault combinations and width of the shattered zone.Well core and log data revealed that the width of the shattered zone on the side of the fault core was less than 15 m in general;therefore,the distance from a fault to the development target should be larger than 15 m.Vertically segmented growth faults should take the separation of the lateral overlap of faults into account.Therefore,the safe distance of remaining oil well deployment at the fault edge should be larger than the sum of the width of shattered zone in faults and the separation of growth faults by vertical segmentation.

Three-dimensional characteristics of focal fault of 1995 M_S=6.5 Wuding earthquake occurring in Yunnan Province

By means of the hypocenter distribution and focal mechanism of Wuding Ms=6.5 earthquake sequence occurred in1995. the space orientation and activity characteristics of focal fault of Wuding earthquake have been studied fromthe three-dimensional space-time process. The results indicate that the focal fault of Wuding earthquake is a subsurface, NWW-trending, upright and right-lateral strike slip fault which is consistent with the intensity distributionin foe meizoseisfnal region. Although the large-scale NS-trending Tanglang-Yimen active fault passes through theearthquake region. it is irrelevant to the Ms=6.5 Wuding main earthquake. Since the relationship between thestrong earthquake and the shallow geological active fault can not be determined, the crustal deep structure shouldbe studied. The method proposed in the paper can be used to distinguish the focal fault in the deep crust.

Study on crust-mantle tectonics and its velocity structure along the Beijing-Huailai-Fengzhen profile

In order to investigate the interrelations of crust and upper mantle tectonics and its velocity distribution as well as seismicity in the Yanhuai basin and its surrounding area, a nearly EW trending Beijing Huailai Fengzhen wide angle reflection/refraction profile, which obliquely passes through seismic zone of Zhangjiakou Bohai Sea and coincides with a deep reflection profile in the Yanhuai basin, was completed recently. The results show: The crust presents layered structures and its thickness gradually increases from 35.0 km in Shunyi to 42.0 km in the west end of the profile; the interior crustal interfaces appear approximately horizontal or slowly sloping down from east to west; In the Yanhuai basin, the crust presents the characteristics of higher velocities alternating with the lower ones and the low velocity bodies obviously exist in the lower part of upper crust. Moreover, there are two deep crustal fault zones which stretch to the Moho discontinuity, are closely related with the seismicity in the Yanhuai area.

Fault geometrical model of Dujiangyan section in Longmenshan fault zone

The focal mechanism solution on the seismic fault plane can reflect the geometric and kinematic characteristics of faults, and it is an important way to further study the fine structure of fault plane. From the focal mechanism solution of the earthquakes around the Dujiangyan fault in Longmenshan fault zone, we derived the average dip angle of Dujiangyan fault is 45.1° based on the seismic moment tensor theory. In order to refine the fault geometry structure, this paper decomposed it into multiple sub-fault planes along the length and width of the fault plane and forms a number of models A13, B13, A23 a, A23 b, A23 c, B23 a,B23 b and B23 c, then calculated the sub-fault’s dip of each model. In order to clarify exactly which one of the fault models is closest to the real fault model, the fault slip was carried out for each model in turn, then compared the surface displacement of each model with GPS observations. The results show that B23 c model with high dip in shallow and small dip in deep is the best model, the lengths of each subfault of Dujiangyan fault from south to north are 33 km, 21 km and 46 km, respectively. When the depth of the fault bottom is about 11 km, the dip angles are 70.56°, 67.41° and 45.55°.When the depth of the fault bottom is about 30 km, The fault dip angles are 44.55°, 29.18° and 44.25°.

Fault Tolerant Suffix Trees

Classical algorithms and data structures assume that the underlying memory is reliable,and the data remain safe during or after processing.However,the assumption is perilous as several studies have shown that large and inexpensive memories are vulnerable to bit flips.Thus,the correctness of output of a classical algorithm can be threatened by a few memory faults.Fault tolerant data structures and resilient algorithms are developed to tolerate a limited number of faults and provide a correct output based on the uncorrupted part of the data.Suffix tree is one of the important data structures that has widespread applications including substring search,super string problem and data compression.The fault tolerant version of the suffix tree presented in the literature uses complex techniques of encodable and decodable error-correcting codes,blocked data structures and fault-resistant tries.In this work,we use the natural approach of data replication to develop a fault tolerant suffix tree based on the faulty memory random access machine model.The proposed data structure stores copies of the indices to sustain memory faults injected by an adversary.We develop a resilient version of the Ukkonen’s algorithm for constructing the fault tolerant suffix tree and derive an upper bound on the number of corrupt suffixes.

Characteristics and origin of continental marginal fault depressions under the background of preexisting subduction continental margin,northern South China Sea,China

Based on the new seismic and drilling data and the recent related research results,this paper systematically analyzes the diversity and complexity of evolution process of crustal lithosphere structure and basin structure in the Pearl River Mouth Basin on the northern margin of the South China Sea.Three types of detachment faults of different structural levels exist:crust-mantle detachment,inter-crust detachment and upper crust detachment.It is considered that different types of extensional detachment control different subbasin structures.Many fault depressions controlled by upper crust detachment faults have been found in the Zhu I Depression located in the proximal zone.These detachment faults are usually reformed by magma emplacement or controlled by preexisting faults.Baiyun-Liwan Sag located in the hyperextension area shows different characteristics of internal structure.The Baiyun main sag with relative weak magmatism transformation is a wide-deep fault depression,which is controlled by crust-mantle detachment system.Extensive magmatism occurred in the eastern and southwest fault steps of the Baiyun Sag after Middle Eocene,and the crust ductile extensional deformation resulted in wide-shallow fault depression controlled by the upper crust detachment fault.Based on the classical lithosphere extensional breaking and basin tectonic evolution in the Atlantic margin,it is believed that the magmatic activities and pre-existing structures in the Mesozoic subduction continental margin background are important controlling factors for the diversified continental margin faulted structures in the northern South China Sea.

河西务构造带调节构造特征分析

运用断层垂直位移的方法分析河西务东储断层（系）发育历史,确定了河西务东储断层（系）各个断层段在空间上的构造展布。河西务东储断层（系）内部南段（别古庄断层）、中段（大北尹断层）和北段（河西务断层）在空间上是以同向叠覆型调节构造来调节各段之间的伸展应力不均衡。在河西务潜山构造带上调节构造的存在是南北分块的动因,以断棱上的走向斜坡、斜坡上的构造翘曲和平移断层为分界标志。

Basement interface structural characteristics beneath Jiashi strong earthquake swarm area in Xinjiang, China

The seismic data obtained from high resolution seismic refraction profile in Jiashi strong earthquake swarm area in Xinjiang, China were further processed with ray hit analysis method and more complete basement interface structural characteristics beneath Jiashi strong earthquake swarm area were determined. The results show that there are two clear basement interfaces at the upper crust in Jiashi strong earthquake swarm area. The first one with buried depth ranging from 2.6 km to 3.3 km presents integral and continuous structure, and it appears an inclined plane interface and smoothly rises up toward Tianshan Mountain. The second basement interface with buried depth from 8.5 km to 11.8 km, is the antiquated crystalline basement of Tarim basin. Near the post number of 37 km, the buried depth of the crystalline basement changed abruptly by 2.5 km, which maybe result from an ultra crystalline basement fault. If taking this fault as a boundary, the crystalline basement could be divided into two parts, i.e. the southwestern segment with buried depth about 11.5 km, and the northeastern segment with buried depth approxi-mately from 8.5 km to 9.0 km. That is to say, in each segment, the buried depth changes not too much. The northeast segment rises up as a whole and upheaves slightly from southwest to northeast, which reflects the upper crustal deformation characteristics under the special tectonic background at the northwestern edge of Tarim basin.