Dear all,
Some info below from Jonathan Caine on a special symposium on
coupled processes in faults scheduled for the GSA/Geol Soc
meeting in Edinburgh this June.
At lesast one of the keynote speakers will know how to spell
pseudotachylyte. (Maybe I'll ask him to explain to a geophysicist
what a 'real' tachylyte is ;-).
Usual apologies for multiple postings.
Cheers, Ian.
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: Jonathan Saul Caine <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Faults and the Earth System Processes Meeting
Solicitation for your involvement in the upcoming Earth System
Processes Meeting, Edinburgh, Scotland, June 24-28, 2001
Dear Colleagues,
Below you will find a description of an Earth System Processes
theme session called 'Coupled Earth Processes: Deformation,
Chemical Reaction, and Heat in Fault and Fracture Zone Dominated
Fluid Flow'. Ian Main of the University of Edinburgh and I will be
coordinating this session. We are sending you this information with
hopes that you and your students / colleagues will consider
participating in this exciting meeting by submitting an abstract on
your recent work (details below). In order to facilitate discussion
and ideas for future research the organizers have set up the
meeting so that the bulk of the scientific presentations will be in
poster format. There will be three to six oral presentations other
than the two keynote addresses for our session. The oral
presentations will be scheduled to maximize viewing and discussion
at the poster sessions. Finally, we would like to organize a volume
of papers compiled from the contributions made to the session.
Thank you for your consideration and we hope to see you in
Scotland!
Scope and Content of Session
Fault zones and fracture networks play a key role in fluid-
related processes in the Earth's brittle crust. These structural
features that alter the vessel in which fluids reside and flow are not
static over geological to human time scales. They are subject to a
wide variety of interrelated geologic processes that open and close
permeability and storage and thus enhance and degrade the quality
and quantity of water, geothermal, hydrocarbon, and mineral
resources. Our ability to understand a myriad of Earth's processes,
live safely within geological bounds and utilize resources that we
depend on for our biological and economic existence are directly
linked to faulted and fractured rock - particularly as the resources
we depend on become more scarce.
Much of the recent and growing body of work in this broad venue
has focused on the characterization of faults and fracture zones.
Yet characterization and modeling of the processes - and how they
are coupled - that form and operate in fault and fracture zones is a
frontier for continued research. Examples - for which there are
many - of coupled processes that occur in all tectonic settings
include 1) The flow of groundwater in fractured aquifer systems - a
relatively well understood process in porous media - is often
dependent on a small proportion highly localized hydraulically
conductive fractures. Yet how water actually infiltrates into such
aquifers, how it flows and is stored relative to changes in depth and
thus stress and heat, and how chemical reactions under these
conditions degrade the quality of that water are poorly understood.
2) The role that fluids play in the strength of the crust is well
established yet how the interdependent processes of permeability
controlled changes in fluid pressure and stress, rock deformation,
chemical and thermal reactions that may ultimately lead to
earthquake nucleation and arrest are poorly understood and 3)
hydrocarbon migration and trapping in faulted and fractured rock is
dependent on thermal maturation, geochemical reaction to generate
liquid oil, physical permeability, and a stress field conducive to
maintaining that permeability are also poorly understood. Although
many of the processes mentioned above are common to each
theme, researchers rarely come together to pool their collective
knowledge for understanding the geological framework of different
tectonic, geologic, and geomorphic environments in which coupled
processes operate. The focus of this session will be to create this
opportunity in order to open a new dialog that is focused on how we
might better characterize, model, and predict the coupling of the
fundamental Earth processes in faulted and fractured rocks. This
session is also meant to complement the more broadly focused
session on The Coupling of Fluid Reservoirs in the Earth by
focusing in on the specific topics listed above.
Meeting Sponsors and Information
Geological Societies of America, London and Edinburgh, the United
States and British Geological Surveys, and the University of
Edinburgh. For details please see:
http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/edinburgh/index.htm
Or contact one of us at:
Jonathan Saul Caine, U.S. Geological Survey, [log in to unmask]
Ian Main, University of Edinburgh, [log in to unmask]
Deadlines
Early registration: January 31, 2001. Final pre-conference
registration deadline: April 30, 2001.
Abstract submission: February 28, 2001.
To submit an abstract directly go to:
http://gsa.confex.com/calls.htm
Session Keynote Speakers
Richard Sibson (University of Otago, New Zealand) - Faulting, Fluid
Redistribution, and Seismic Style in Different Tectonic Settings:
Case Studies from an Active Arc.
Grant Garven (Johns Hopkins University, United States) -
Conceptualization and Numerical Modeling of the Driving Forces for
Fluid Flow: Fault Zones and Sedimentary Basins.
* * * * * * * * *
Jonathan Saul Caine
U. S. Geological Survey
P. O. Box 25046, Mail Stop 973
Denver, CO 80225-0046
Phone: 303 236 1822
FAX: 303 236 3200
------- End of forwarded message -------
Dr Ian Main
Professor of Seismology & Rock Physics, University of Edinburgh,
Department of Geology & Geophysics, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK.
Email: [log in to unmask]; Tel: +44 (0)131 650 4911; Fax: +44 (0)131 668 3184
Website: http://www.glg.ed.ac.uk/home/Ian.Main/
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