Quartz Stressing and Fracturing by Pore Pressure Dropping Down to Negative Pressure

In water-bearing porous rocks, pore pressure variations play a major role in deformation, through dissolution?precipitation and fracturing processes. An often-overlooked variation where falls to negative or tension can operate whenever aquifer formations dry out, for instance, deep storage (nuclear industrial wastes, long-term CO 2 mitigation, short-term energetic resources, etc.). This generate capillary within the aquifers. study investigates mechanical effect of such in-pore surrounding crystal field, laboratory experiments at one-pore scale. Microthermometric procedures were carried out on synthetic fluid inclusions large tensile stress combined with Raman microspectrometry visualize resulting fields host quartz. For comparison, we numerically modeled field by linear elasticity theory. The demonstrate that significant damage is produced crystalline materials tension. Despite induced measured micro-Raman spectrometry remain moderate, it able fracture volume cavity prominent controlling parameter amplitude. heterogeneities solid are another localizing mean weak accumulating overstress. Our results call bringing pore-scale micromechanics into safety assessment geological various wastes inside depleted They also show magnifying propagating along certain directions, promoting final failure minerals, networks.