Predictions of the highest potential transmissivity of fractures in fault zones from rock rheology; Preliminary results

Ishii, Eiichi   

The author shows a clear correlation with negative power law between transmissivities along fluid-conductive fault zones detected by fluid loggings in boreholes and the effective mean stress normalized a tensile strength of the rock, using data sets from six sites in different conditions. The obtained empirical relation allows to spatially and temporally predicting transmissivities along possible fluid-conductive fault zones in the upper crust using the normalized stress, providing a very useful benchmark for many geoscientific and geotechnical problems relevant to fault zone permeability.