Tectonophysics, 228 (1993) 199-210 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam Initiation of salt diapirs with frictional overburdens: numerical experiments A.N.B. Poliakov a.b, Yu. Podladchikov and C. Talbot " HLRZ, KFA-Jiilich, Postfach 1913, D-5170 Jiilich, Germany Hans Ramberg Tectonic Laboratory, Institute of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, S-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden (Received July 8, 1993; revised version accepted July 8, 1993) ABSTRACT We have studied the initiation of salt diapirs with frictional overburdens under lateral compression and extension. The overburden is assumed to be elasto-plastic with Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion and non-associated flow rule. Plastic flow localizes into narrow shear bands which may represent faults. The geometry and the evolution of these shear zones are simulated for various rheological parameters. The dilational and frictional properties of frictional overburdens are found to be important controls on the types of shear zones formed in lateral compression and extension. The friction and dilation angles influence the angle of shear and the width, dip, spacing and development history of conjugate zones of shear-plus-dilation (fault zones) that define wedges and grabens. Introduction 1 I t i I1 This paper is devoted to a particularly active topic in current tectonic research: the problem of plastic rock failure, here in laterally shortened and extended overburdens over inviscid salt. The first systematic analog experiments on this subject were published only recently (see Vendeville and Jackson, 1992; Weijermars et al., 1993). These studies showed interesting new relations between faults and salt structures, while challenging the idea that buoyancy forces are adequate for driving salt tectonics. Numerical models are still two-dimensional and not yet as realistic as profiles through threedimensional analogue experiments. Witlox (1988) and Cundall(1990) studied the evolution of faults in sedimentary rocks with different elastic properties and different strain-softening regimes, but their models do not include a salt layer. We are aware of only one earlier numerical study of salt diapirism with a frictional overburden: the work of Last (1988). The rarity of such studies reflects the difficultly of including elasto-plastic (sediments) and viscous (salt) rheologies in the same numerical model. Here we model the initiation of salt diapirs in a frictional (Mohr-Coulomb) overburden by using our new program PARAVOZ based on the numerical technique used in FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua) (Cundall and Board, 1988; Cundall, 1989). We study the evolution of fault zones in a sedimentary overburden, compressed and extended a few percent, over a layer of inviscid salt. We show that the friction and dilation angles of a plastic material play an important role in its style of faulting and consequently in the formation of different diapiric structures under frictional overburdens. Localization in frictional materials One of the widely used rheological models for sedimentary rocks is elasto-plastic material with Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion and non-associated flow rule (Vermeer and De Borst, 1984). This model has been confirmed experimentally and has stimulated many theoretical and numerical studies. However, theoretical studies are still not complete and numerical simulations are 0040-1951/93/$06.00 O 1993 - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. All rights reserved SSDI 0040-195 1(93)E0174-S A.N.B. POLIAKOV ET AL. rather simple due to the complexity of localization. Here we explain some of the current aspects of localization, before presenting the results of our calculations. Non-associated plasticity Because of its novelty in geology, the term non-associated plasticity deserves a brief explanation. It is well known from experiments that rocks increase in volume (dilate), when distorted by shear. Dilation occurs by tensile cracking and is necessary to lift sliding blocks over asperities (Vermeer and De Borst, 1984). A parameter suitable for characterizing a dilatant material is the dilation angle $. For simple shear, 4 represents the ratio of plastic volumetric strain rate divided by plastic shear strain rate. For theoretical explanation of dilation angle see Hobbs et al. (1990). Materials with $ = 0 are plastically incompressible and so conserve volume. Materials with higher I) dilate more with plastic strain. The type of plasticity is thus characterized not only by the yield criterion, but also by the plastic flow rule which defines the vector of plastic strain rate. Plasticity with a dilation angle equal to the angle of internal friction 4 is called "associated plasticity". This means that, in stress space, the vector of plastic strain rate remains perpendicuTar to the yield surface throughout an associated plastic strain. Associated plasticity was originally developed for metals, for which it is a good model, because metals have a low friction angle and also do not dilate. With associated plasticity, many analytical solutions are available using limit analysis theory. "Non-associated plasticity" implies that Jr is not equal to 4 and that the vector of plastic strain rate is not normal to the yield surface (instead, it is perpendicular to its own plastic potential surface. In fact, the dilation angle is always smaller than the friction angle for geomaterials. + Conditions on localization Plastic flow in a frictional material is not uniform, even if the initial stress field is uniform. An instability in plastic flow leads to strains concentrating in narrow shear bands which spontaneously appear in the initial continuum. These bands, or zones of dilational damage with shear, have finite widths, but, for brevity, we usually refer to them as faults or fault zones. The bifurcation theory shows that the conditions promoting this destabilization of deformation are rough (vertex-like) yield surfaces and a non-associated plastic flow rule (Rudnicki and Rice, 1975; Hobbs et al., 1990). This type of plasticity (MohrCoulomb yield and non-associated plastic flow) is common in rock mechanics experiments on real rocks (Vardoulakis, 1980; Vermeer and De Borst, 1984). Including this type of plasticity in numerical simulations of deforming rocks increases model realism. Orientation of shear bands The orientation of shear bands in Coulomb materials with non-associated flow rule is still not well understood. Theories, experiments and numerical simulations give different values for 0, the inclination angle subtended by a shear band and the major compressive stress. There are two end-member solutions for shear band inclinations: and: where 4 and are the friction and dilation angles, respectively. Eqn. (1) was derived by Coulomb in 1776 and eqn. (2) was obtained by Roscoe (1970). Attempts to prove either of the results have not been successful because there is experimental evidence for both the Coulomb and the Roscoe orientations. Vermeer (1990) showed that orientation of shear bands may depend on the grain size of granular material and that Coulomb-type shear bands occur in fine sands, whereas Roscoe-type shear bands are observed in coarse materials. INITIATION OF SALT DIAPIRS WITH FRICTIONAL OVERBURDENS: NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS Arthur et al. (1977) and Vardoulakis (1980) each reported experimental evidence for an intermediate orientation of shear bands: A theoretical explanation of this observation was given by Vermeer (1982). Later, Vermeer (1990) analysed the post-bifuricational behaviour of frictional material, allowing it to unload elastically outside of the shear band. He found that that there is a wide range of admissible orientations of shear bands in between the two limits (1) and (2). Systematical numerical experiments on shear band inclinations in a compressional uniaxial test were carried out by Hobbs and Ord (1989) using a FLAC program. They obtained a broad range of shear band inclinations, not predicted by eqns. (I), (2), or (3). However, they demonstrated that the angle 0 decreases, as both 4 and increase. The scattering of inclination angles in experiments may be due to friction at the end platens, which can delay the inception of a shear band (Vermeer and De Borst, 1984) or produce kinking (Dawson, 1993). In numerical experiments, a similar effect can occur due to the finite size of a model (i.e. influence of boundaries) which affects the inclination angles. For these reasons, we do not expect to find unique shear band orientation. It is more instructive to study relative changes in shear orientation, rather than absolute values. + Spacing of shear bands Spacing of shear bands is difficult to obtain in theoretical models and easier to observe in numerical or laboratory experiments. The most important control parameter is the dimensionless bulk modulus (ratio of elastic bulk modulus K to weight of the layer of rock (Cundall, 1990): 201 ing. Witlox (1988) demonstrated the same effect numerically (using elastic shear modulus G instead of K ) and Vendeville et al. (1987) showed it in sand box experiments. Witlox (1988) also showed that fault spacing increases with an increase in the amount of strain softening. In the numerical experiments of Wobbs and Ord (1989) it is difficult to see the dependence of fault spacing on friction and dilation angles. The spacing changes during the calculations due to a geometrical effect: buckling at the free surface "locks" the shear bands and does not allow them to adopt a natural spacing. Thickness of shear bands and mesh size The thickness of shear bands observed in experiments with sand is about 13-18 grain diameters (Muhlhaus and Vardoulakis, 1987), depending on the coarseness of the sand. The theory of classical plasticity does not include any internal length scale and therefore can not predict the thickness of shear bands (it is assumed to be zero). To avoid this ambiguity, Miihlhaus and Vardoulakis (1987) used Cosserat theory for a granular medium to introduce an internal grain size and predict the thickness and orientation of shear bands consistent with observations. However, the thickness of a shear band is very small compared with the size of a laboratory specimen or the characteristic length scale of a tectonic problem. Thus it is always desirable to keep modelled shear bands as thin as possible. There are two basic problems in modelling localization in frictional materials: - First, are the results dependent on mesh size, for materials with strain softening rheological behaviour ? - Second, if we assume that material has no strain softening, can it represent true rock behaviour and what is the mesh size which can correctly resolve shear band arrays? Mesh dependence for strain-softening materials where pSedi, is the density of sediments, g is acceleration of gravity and H is the thickness of the sedimentary layer. Cundall(1990) showed that increasing this ratio gives closer shear band spac- The introduction of strain softening (softening of cohesion or/and friction angle) in a model of plasticity makes the study of localization a very difficult task. Results from standard numerical A.N.B. POLIAKOV ET AL. models become mesh dependent, because estimation of the strain at every time step depends on the size of the computational element. In order to avoid this problem, several numerical techniques have been introduced: (1) a displacement discontinuity (or interface) in the finite element (Pietruszak and Mr6z, 1981; Rots, 1988; Klisinksi et al., 1990); (2) an internal length with non-local or gradient continuum theories (Bazant et al., 1984; De Borst and Muhlhaus, 1991); (3) an internal length using a micro-polar (Cosserat) continuum (De Borst and Muhlhaus, 1991); (4) rate effects in the constitutive model (Needleman, 1988; Sluys and De Borst, 1991), a technique not applicable for quasi-static problems; (5) "displacement softening" rnultiplyng the plastic strain by characteristic size of an element (Dawson, 1993). Unfortunately, each of these techniques is applicable only to a restricted class of problems (De Borst and Miihlhaus, 1991). There is no universal model which can handle the diverse problems of localization. In this paper we use a model without strain softening to avoid the problem of mesh dependence. Mesh sensitivity for materials without strain softening Cundall (1990) demonstrated that his FLAC algorithm (and here also our code, based on his algorithm) gives shear bands which are 3-4 elements wide, for materials without dilation and without strain softening. H e assumed that the gap between shear bands is of the same order and thus results of FLAC calculations are reliable as long as the spacing between bands is resolved with 6-10 elements approximately. Hobbs and Ord (1989) and Cundall(1990) checked the FLAC algorithm for different element sizes under the same physical conditions. Their results differed on the exact positions of shear bands, but the general features such as inclination angle and spacing remained the same. After comparing the geometry of faulting with that of sand box experi- ments (Cundall, 1990) and checking results with analytical solutions for the yield criterion (Hobbs and Ord, 1989) we infer that the FLAC algorithm is reliable and can be used for simulating sedimentary rock behaviour. Thickness of shear bands as a finction of friction and dilation angles Hobbs and Ord (1989) found that increasing the dilation angle $ increases the thickness of the shear band at fixed friction angle 4 . This fact can be understood in the sense that material with high dilation expand in volume and this expansion takes place only in shear bands, making them thicker. Another observation of Hobbs and Ord (1989) is that deformation is strongly localized for small friction angles, but becomes more diffuse as friction increases. In our experience, this is not a1ways true. Instead, the difference between frictional and dilation angles controls the localization. Thus increasing the difference ( 4 - $1 gives stronger localization. This is consistent with the theory of Rudnicki and Rice (1975), showing that one of the conditions for localization is the nonassociated flow rule. Thus increasing the difference ( 4 - $) increases non-associativity, making plastic flow more unstable and giving narrower shear bands. This dependence will be demonstrated below. Method Computer simulation of salt diapirism with a frictional overburden is difficult, because to treat materials with elasto-plastic and viscous rheologies in the same numerical model leads to severe computational problems. FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of a Continua) provides a powerful tool for studies of this kind (Cundall and Board, 1988; Cundall, 1989). FLAC is based on an explicit, time-marching scheme for the solution of the full dynamic equations of motion. The main advantage of this method is that it uses an explicit form of the constitutive (rheological) relation between stress and strain. This feature allows several complex rheologies to be incorporated in the same INITIATION OF SALT DIAPIRS WITH FRICTIONAL OVERBURDENS: NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS modeI. Thus materials that creep, and/or are visco-elastic can be combined with materials that exhibit various types of plasticity and either strain soften or strain harden. Our program PARAVOZ is based on FLAC. We first used PARAVOZ to model RayleighTaylor instability in Maxwell visco-elastic continua (Poliakov et al., 1993). Here we use the same program to model the initiation of lowviscosity diapirs (e.g., salt) under frictional overburdens approximated as Mohr-Coulomb plastic material with a non-associated flow rule. Figure 1 shows the geometry of the problem solved by PARAVOZ. For computational simplicity and efficiency, we consider only a single elasto-plastic layer with density pSedi,= 2500 kg/m3, that rests on an inviscid fluid, representing low-viscosity salt with density p,,,, = 2200 kg/m3. In this paper, we use a dimensionless elastic bulk modulus of the elasto-plastic layer K ' = 166.7 or 1667.0 (eqn. 4) and its Poisson's ratio v = 0.25. K' = 166.7 represents typical parameters for a sedimentary layer: K = 0.1667 . 10" Pa, p,,,,, = 2500 kg/m3 and H = 4000 m. In some numerical experiments, we attempted to reproduce the natural heterogeneity of rocks, by assigning random plastic properties to each element in the numerical grid (as in Cundall, 1991). In these experiments, the mean friction angle 4 = 40" with standard deviation 2", but these heterogeneties appeared to play no significant role in the style of faulting. We varied the dilation angle 51, from 0" (no volume change) up to the 15" which is typical for dense sand (Hettler and Vardoulakis, 1984). Cohesion of the material was taken to be zero for simplicity. The boundary conditions of the problem are as + Free surface Compression 203 follows: the upper boundary remains stress-free while constant velocities are applied to the lateral boundaries. Hydrostatic pressures calculated for the buoyant underlying salt are applied to the bottom boundary. An initial sinusoidal perturbation is applied to the bottom of the frictional sediments. The horizontal length of perturbation is equal to half of the length of the whole layer and the amplitude is 10% of the thickness of the whole elasto-plastic layer. Because the viscosity of the salt layer is assumed to be zero, the elasto-plastic problem has no intrinsic time scale. Thus the maximum strain rate and the time printed beneath the illustrated results have relative, not absolute significance. The grey scale in the figures indicates the magnitude of the square root of the second invariant of the strain rate, which is calculated for each element as follows: where €ij is the ij-component of the strain-rate tensor. The second invariant of the strain rate approximately equals the maximum shear strain rate in each element (the deviatoric part of the strain rate tensor is much larger than the rate of area change). Thus, darker regions experience larger shear rates (i-e. they are in plastic state) and lighter regions experience smaller shear rates and move as nearby rigid elastic blocks. For better understanding of shear band dynamics, we show also the velocity field with black arrows. Our main aim here is to study the geometry of fault zones during lateral compression and extension. To study the development of a population of spontaneous fault zones out of the initial continuum, we used a numerical grid with 160 x 40 square elements. Because we do not use remeshing when the grid becomes too deformed, our results are limited to initial stages of diapiric growth. Results for lateral compression Fig. 1. Geometry and boundary conditions for problem-initiating salt diapirs. Brittle sediments are approximated by a Lateral compression with large elastic moduli Mohr-Coulomb material with non-associated flow rule and the salt is assumed to be an inviscid fluid of low density that exerts buoyancy forces from below. Figure 2 shows the development of spontaneous fault zones for a model with large elastic 204 A.N.B. POLIAKOV ET AL. modulus (K' = 1667). The main feature of this model is that faults have no steady position. Instead, they migrate, disappear from one place and appear in another. The shape and inclina- tions of these faults also changes with time. However, despite this somewhat chaotic behaviour of the shear bands, a wedge is formed in the central part of the model. Strain rate 2nd Invariant $1=40k 0°, $= 0°, c= 0 Fig. 2. Development of shear zones in a material with large elastic modulus ( K ' = 1667). Results are for horizontal compression of a frictional overburden over inviscid salt. Frictional angle 4 = 40"; dilation angle II/ = 0" (meaning no increase in volume during plastic flow). Shades of grey color indicate magnitude of shear strain rate (second invariant of strain rate). Black arrows represent velocity field. T is a nondimensional time. INITIATION OF SALT DIAPIRS WITH FRICTIONAL OVERBURDENS: NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS Another feature of Figure 2 is the formation of a second pair of conjugate fault zones outside the first pair. These new shear zones led to widening both of the wedge on the surface and of the initiated salt intrusion. We believe that the second pair of reverse faults form because the weight of the central wedge is balanced by buoyancy forces and it cannot continue to rise. It is easier for the system to create a new set of faults along which sliding can occur. A possible problem with this model is its limited length. The flexural rigidity of the elastoplastic layer is large due to the large elastic 205 modulus. Therefore, relatively large bending stresses can arise, due to boundary effects and these may influence the orientation of shear bands. Lateral compression with small elastic moduli Figure 3 shows the results for compression of a frictional material with small elastic modulus ( K ' = 166.7), for different friction and dilation angles, after 4% shortening. Small elastic moduli increase the fault spacing (see section about shear bands spacing) and Fig. 3. Results for compression (4% of shortening) of frictional material with small elastic modulus ( K ' = 166.7) for different dilation and friction angles. With increasing dilation angle, shear bands become more diffuse and dip less steeply. Size of wedge increases in (B) compare to (A). A decrease in friction angles does not significantly change the inclination angle but make the localization zone more wide. 206 A.N.B. POLIAKOV ET AL. therefore only one wedge forms. The flexural rigidity is ten times smaller than in the previous simulation. Faults do not migrate and are almost steady state during compression. Therefore wedges are better developed for the same amount of compression. Figure 3A and B shows that an increase in dilation angle $ produces wider shear bands and Strain rate 2nd Invariant q5=40* 0°, += 0°, c = 0 Fig. 4. Development of extensional shear zones in the frictional material with large elastic modulus ( K t = 1667). Note closer spacing of shear bands compared with compressional examples and not monotonic slip on the bands ("flip-flop" effect, Cundall, 1990). INITIATION OF SALT DIAPIRS WITH FRICTIONAL OVERBURDENS: NUMERICAL EXPERIMENTS decreases the dip. These observations are consistent with theory and earlier numerical studies (see sections about orientation and thickness of shear bands). Thus, localization with high dilation angle decreases the inclination angle towards major compressive stress (which is horizontal) and makes horizontal size of wedge longer. Additionally the volume of the layer increases progressively with compression. This feature is not realistic because dilation in real rocks is not constant, but decreases with progressive deformation (Vermeer and De Borst, 1984). Figure 3A and C shows that decreasing the friction angles makes wider shear bands. This observation is opposite to the conclusion of Hobbs and Ord (1989). Our explanation is given in section about shear bands thickness. Surprisingly, there is almost no difference in the inclination angle in these two examples with different friction angles. This means that our shear zones are closer to the Roscoe type than the Coulomb type, An interesting feature of these models is the initial shape of the salt diapir. It has either a very broad and almost flat shape (Fig. 3A) or a smaller and rounder shape (Fig. 3B and C). Results for lateral extension For lateral extension, shear bands dip more steeply because the major compressive stress is vertical. Unfortunately, calculations were terminated at = 1.0-1.5% of extension, much earlier than for compression because of element distortion and overlap. 207 can become active again. Such a "flip-flop7' behaviour was reported by Cundall (1990). We believe that it is typical of frictional materials with very strong localization 6.e. large difference between friction and dilation angles). For materials with diffuse shear zones, this effect is much weaker. Lateral extension with small elastic moduli The development of shear bands in a material with small elastic modulus ( K t = 166.7) (Fig. 5) is similar that for large elastic modulus. The main difference is that the number of shear bands decreases. An interesting feature is the point of intersection between conjugate shear bands moves down at the beginning of the simulation and then stops (bottom figure). At this intersection, the mesh is most distorted. It causes termination of the program at relatively early stages of extension. We believe that the migration of this intersection point is caused by a slight change in the geometry of the bottom boundary. Distortion of the bottom boundary causes the shear bands to move closer, thus moving the intersection point. The localization geometry for various friction and dilation angles is presented in Figure 6. The results for lateral extension are qualitatively the same as for compression. Thus widening of shear bands increases with an increase in the dilation angle and decrease in the friction angle. An increase in dilation angle makes the shear bands steeper. Conclusions Lateral extension with large elastic moduli Figure 4 shows the development of shear bands in a material with a large elastic modulus ( K t = 1667). The spacing of shear bands is much smaller than for compression. This, combined with the fact that the extensional shear bands dip more steeply than the compressional bands, causes the grabens to have smaller linear dimensions than the wedges (compare Figs. 2 and 4). Sliping on faults is time dependent. Anyone fault may stop slipping for some time and then The numerical experiments reported here are among the first to simulate the generation of spontaneous fault zones by shortening or extending elasto-plastic slabs underlain by inviscid fluid. Most previous numerical models of faulting studied the reactivation or propagation of pre-existing faults. We have shown the difference between faulting in lateral compression or extension. In extension, the spacing of faults is much smaller. The grabens formed in extension are wider than than the wedges formed in compression. Extensional 208 A.N.B. POLIAKOV ET AL. faults are steeper than compressional ones, because of the change in orientation of the maximum compressive stress, $ la Anderson's theory of faulting. The inclination of shear bands is controlled by the dilation angle, rather than by the friction angle (similar to the Roscoe type of shear band). In materials without strain softening shear bands become wider with increasing dilation angle. The width of the localization zone decreases if the difference between friction and dilation angles (Qj - $) increases. Strain rate 2nd Invariant Fig. 5 , Development of extensional shear zones in a frictional material with small elastic modulus ( K ' = 166.7). The point of intersection of the shear bands moves down with time and the final geometry is slightly nonsymrnetric. UTIATION OF SALT DIAPIRS WITH FRICTIONAL OVERBURDENS: NUMERICAL EXIJEKI?\.IkNTS T h e generation of spontaneous fault zones in equences of rocks with other realistic rheological ,roperties will be the subject of future work. 3xamples might be strain-softening overburdens vith various angles of internal friction and vari)us elastic moduli, deforming over viscous iecollements (of e.g., salt, anhydrite or clay) to ;imulate non-planar curved faults. From the present results on initiation of diapirs, it is very difficult to draw any conclusions about the shapes of well-developed diapirs. Modelling of further diapiric development is a complex problem, requiring remeshing and reequlibrating of the stress state. This is currently under investigation. 3 Fl Peter Cundall is gratchlly thanked for his original algorithm for solving the problem of plusticity and his patient explanation of FLAC. We thank Peter Cobbold for his patience as thc Ciuest Editor and very tidious correction of our manuscript. Ethan Damon kindly explained thc problem of mesh dependence and made many suggestions. Alison Ord and an anonymous rcviewer provided constructive criticism. Mans Herm a n is thanked for supporting of A. Poliakov during completion of this paper and discussions about localization. All calculations were done on Sparc stations in the Hochstleistungsrechen- Fig. 6. Results for extension (= 1.0-1.5%) in a frictional material with small elastic modulus ( K ' = 166.7) for various dilation and friction angles. With increasing dilation angle, shear bands become more wide and slightly steeper. Decreasing of the friction angles widens the shear bands and does not change the inclination angle. A.N.B. 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