Geologists have long realized the important control of mechanical stratigraphy on fault nucleation,fault linkage and fault compartmen-talization.However,uncertainties still exist concerning the mechanical heterogeneit...Geologists have long realized the important control of mechanical stratigraphy on fault nucleation,fault linkage and fault compartmen-talization.However,uncertainties still exist concerning the mechanical heterogeneity of the stratigraphy because of difficulties in quantifying the mechanical stratigraphy.In this study,the average strength Save of a section is calculated considering the strength and thickness of each in-dividual layer.The strength difference SΔand normalized mechanical contrast SΔ/S_(ave)are defined for each individual layer in a section.A diagram of the normalized mechanical contrast SΔ/S_(ave)versus the normalized height H/Σ_(i=1)^(n)hi can then be employed to effectively evaluate the vertical mechanical heterogeneity of the stratigraphy in a section.High-frequencyfluctuations between negative and positive SΔ/S_(ave)values represent high mechanical heterogeneity,and vice versa.The scaled mechanical heterogeneity MH_(scaled)can be used as an index to quantify the mechanical heterogeneity of the stratigraphy in sections with different scales.However,it is also important to realize that fault throw may promote or restrict the control of mechanical heterogeneity on faulting deformation.The mechanical heterogeneity may present limited control on the fault architecture,particularly when the fault throw is several times larger than the scale of the section.Increasing deformation rate may also minimise the control of the mechanical heterogeneity on the fault architecture.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.42272147 and 41872143)and the Shandong Taishan Scholar Project Special Funds(No.tsqn202211081).
文摘Geologists have long realized the important control of mechanical stratigraphy on fault nucleation,fault linkage and fault compartmen-talization.However,uncertainties still exist concerning the mechanical heterogeneity of the stratigraphy because of difficulties in quantifying the mechanical stratigraphy.In this study,the average strength Save of a section is calculated considering the strength and thickness of each in-dividual layer.The strength difference SΔand normalized mechanical contrast SΔ/S_(ave)are defined for each individual layer in a section.A diagram of the normalized mechanical contrast SΔ/S_(ave)versus the normalized height H/Σ_(i=1)^(n)hi can then be employed to effectively evaluate the vertical mechanical heterogeneity of the stratigraphy in a section.High-frequencyfluctuations between negative and positive SΔ/S_(ave)values represent high mechanical heterogeneity,and vice versa.The scaled mechanical heterogeneity MH_(scaled)can be used as an index to quantify the mechanical heterogeneity of the stratigraphy in sections with different scales.However,it is also important to realize that fault throw may promote or restrict the control of mechanical heterogeneity on faulting deformation.The mechanical heterogeneity may present limited control on the fault architecture,particularly when the fault throw is several times larger than the scale of the section.Increasing deformation rate may also minimise the control of the mechanical heterogeneity on the fault architecture.
