Three-dimensional fracture distribution in relation to local cooling in a granitic body; An Example from the Toki granitic pluton, Central Japan

Yuguchi, Takashi; Tagami, Masahiko*; Tsuruta, Tadahiko  ; Nishiyama, Tadao*

This paper describes the spatial distribution of fractures in the Toki granitic pluton, Central Japan and their evaluation with respect to the pluton's cooling behavior. Three-dimensional frequency distributions of entire fractures, based on borehole television data collected from 19 boreholes, shows that (1) the central region of the granite has a high fracture frequency and (2) fracture frequency decreases with decreasing elevation (datum is mean sea level), with the exception of the west side of the body. The development of sub-solidus reaction features was measured at two neighboring positions, and the difference was divided by the distance between the two positions. The resulting quantity is here defined as "local cooling rate". We observed a significant correlation between the distribution patterns of entire fracture frequency and local cooling rate; the region with a high local cooling rate corresponds to the region with a high frequency of entire fractures, and vice versa. This correlation indicates that fracture genesis can be explained by "local cooling rate", combined with the concept of thermal stress. Thus, the three dimensional pattern of local cooling rate is a potential diagnostic tool for quantifying the distribution of fracture frequency.