Shear-induced Permeability Evolution of Sandstone Fractures

Anisotropy of sandstone permeability

Small-scale probe permeability measurements on differently oriented faces of highly compacted and quartz-cemented Viking Formation sandstones yield detailed permeability distributions that appear to be diagnostic of the grainand lamina-scale fabric of the samples. Permeability anisotropy of a single ‘structureless'-appearing sample is low, reflected by a kV / kH-ratio of 0.7; corresponding k-di...

Quantitative Characterization of Permeability Fluctuations in Sandstone

Sedimentary rocks have complicated permeability fluctuations arising from the geological processes that formed them. These permeability fluctuations significantly affect the flow of fluids through the rocks. We analyze data on two sandstone samples from different geological environments, and find that the permeability fluctuations display long-range power-law correlations characterized by an ex...

Microstructure of Shear Zones in Fontainebleau Sandstone

On cavity flow permeability testing of a sandstone.

This paper describes a laboratory experiment designed to measure the bulk permeability of a cuboidal sample of sandstone measuring approximately 450 mm(2) in plan area and 508 mm in height. The relatively large dimensions of the sandstone specimen allow the determination of the permeability of the material by creating a central cavity that can be pressurized to maintain a constant flow rate. Th...

Changes in permeability caused by dynamic stresses in fractured sandstone

[1] Shaking-induced changes in permeability have been invoked to explain a wide range of hydrologic responses to earthquakes. We measure the evolution of permeability in fractured sandstone in response to repeated shaking under undrained conditions. The frequency and amplitude of the imposed shaking are similar to those from earthquakes at distances of a fault length from the ruptured fault. To...