Title
A velocity-based approach to visco-elastic flow of rock
Author
Zijl, W.
Hendriks, M.
't Hart, M.
Netherlands Institute of Applied Geoscience TNO, P.O. Box 80015, NL-3508 TA Utrecht, Netherlands TNO DIANA BV, P.O. Box 49, NL-2600 AA Delft, Netherlands
Publication year
2005
Abstract
In structural geology, viscous creep is generally recognized as the major deformation mechanism in the folding of rock layers through geological time scales of hundreds of thousands of years. Moreover, since deformation of rock salt by creep takes already place on relatively small time scales - weeks to months, say - creep is a relevant phenomenon when studying salt mining, notably the convergence of mine cavities and the land subsidence caused by it. While creep is the dominant process on relatively long time scales, elasticity plays a dominant role in processes that take place on relatively short time scales. The elastic response to a stress is a displacement; the shape of the rock is deformed instantaneously with respect to its initial shape. However, the viscous response of a rock to a stress is a relatively low velocity in the order of millimeters per months or years, say. In this paper we consider the two deformation phenomena creep and elasticity. In general, elasticity is a compressible phenomenon, while creep is incompressible. Here we approximate creep by the introduction of a negligibly small amount of compressibility, which makes creep velocity calculations similar to conventional elastic displacement calculations. Using this procedure, a standard finite element package for elasticity can be applied to viscous problems, also in combination with elasticity. The method has been demonstrated to upscaling of creep viscosities. © International Association for Mathematical Geology 2005.
Subject
Compressibility
Creeping flow
Finite elements
Rock viscosity
Upscaling
Creep
Salt tectonics
Viscoelasticity
Viscosity
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:15e629ca-5bd4-4c2b-97f3-71ef55463880
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11004-005-1306-5
TNO identifier
238317
ISSN
0882-8121
Source
Mathematical Geology, 37 (2), 141-162
Document type
article