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Shear heating by translational brittle reverse faulting along a single, sharp and straight fault plane

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Abstract

Shear heating by reverse faulting on a sharp straight fault plane is modelled. Increase in temperature (T i ) of faulted hangingwall and footwall blocks by frictional/shear heating for planar rough reverse faults is proportional to the coefficient of friction (μ), density and thickness of the hangingwall block (ρ). T i increases as movement progresses with time. Thermal conductivity (K i ) and thermal diffusivity (\(k_{\mathrm {i}}^{\prime }\)) of faulted blocks govern T i but they do not bear simple relation. T i is significant only near the fault plane. If the lithology is dry and faulting brings adjacent hangingwall and footwall blocks of the same lithology in contact, those blocks undergo the same rate of increase in shear heating per unit area per unit time.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the IIT Bombay CPDA Grant. The assistance of a PhD student, Dripta Dutta, is acknowledged. Comments by Prof. Saibal Gupta as Handling Editor and by the two reviewers have clarified the text significantly. Proofreading assistance by Irino Marino.

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, 400 076, India

    SOUMYAJIT MUKHERJEE

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Correspondence to SOUMYAJIT MUKHERJEE.

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Corresponding editor: Saibal Gupta

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MUKHERJEE, S. Shear heating by translational brittle reverse faulting along a single, sharp and straight fault plane. J Earth Syst Sci 126, 1 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-016-0788-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-016-0788-5

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