Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Today, one of the main challenges in the oil industry is the exploitation of new resources in naturally fractured reservoirs often located in structurally complex areas such as plate boundaries, mountain ranges or near salt structures. While numerical models of rock deformation based on continuum mechanics are becoming industry standard in providing efficient means for modelling natural fractures in reservoirs, the knowledge of past perturbed stress fields, which is referred as the type (normal, wrench or reverse), orientation and magnitude of the regional or local tectonic stresses that needs to be applied as boundary condition in numerical simulations, is often unknown or approximated.The essence of this thesis is to improve the recovery of the paleostress field needed to constrain numerical simulations. I first described and discuss through a comprehensive mechanically-based multi-parametric study how far we can rely on the commonly used paleostress inversion methods based on fault slip data and the Wallace and Bott assumptions. I then compared this method with a new generation technique based on geomechanics using field observations. Since slip markers on faults are hardly observed in core or image log, I used observed natural fracture data as main drivers for the inversion of the paleostress using geomechanically-based method. I demonstrated, through various outcrop and subsurface examples, how this can efficiently be done. Finally, I aimed at addressing the problem of polyphase fracture data sets with unknown mechanical type (joints, faults, stylolites ...) and expanded the mechanical stress inversion to the separation of tectonic phases.
Aujourd'hui, l'un des principaux défis dans l'industrie pétrolière est l'exploitation de nouvelles ressources dans les réservoirs naturellement fracturés souvent situés dans des zones structurellement complexes tels que les frontières de plaques, les chaînes de montagnes ou les structures de proches des dômes de sel. Alors que les modèles numériques de déformation des roches basée sur la mécanique des milieux continus fournissant des moyens efficaces pour la modélisation de fractures naturelles dans les réservoirs, sont devenus la norme dans l'industrie, les paléo-contraintes régionales ou locales appliquées comme condition aux limites dans les simulations numériques, définies par le régime (normal, décrochant ou inverse), l'orientation, et la magnitude des contraintes tectoniques, sont souvent inconnues ou approximées.L'essence de cette thèse est d'améliorer la prédiction du champ de paléo-contrainte nécessaire pour contraindre les simulations numériques. J’ai décrit dans un premier temps à travers une étude comparative multi-paramétrique complète basée sur la mécanique, dans quelle mesure nous pouvions compter sur les méthodes d'inversion des paléo-contraintes basées sur les hypothèses de Wallace et Bott et les données de glissement sur les failles. J’ai ensuite comparé ces méthodes avec une technique d’inversion de nouvelle génération basée sur la géomécanique en utilisant les observations de terrain. Puisque les marqueurs de glissement sur les failles sont rarement observés le long du forage, j’ai utilisé l’inversion géomécanique des contraintes pour les données de fractures naturelles observées. J’ai alors démontré, l’efficacité de cette technique à travers divers exemples d'affleurements et de subsurface. Enfin, j’ai proposé une solution afin de résoudre le problème des données de fractures polyphasées à type cinématique inconnu (joints, failles, stylolites ...) et étendu l’inversion de contrainte basée sur la géomécanique à la séparation des phases tectoniques.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01324110

tel-01324110
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01324110
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01324110/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01324110/file/theselejri.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We use a strike-slip fault analog model to study experimentally the role played by along-fault non-uniform and asymmetric applied normal stress on both coseismic slip and long-term fault behavior. Our model is based on a visco-elasto-plastic multi-layered rheology that allows to produce several hundreds of scaled analog microquakes and associated seismic cycles. Uniform or heterogeneous applied normal stress along the fault plane is imposed and maintained constant during the whole experiment durations. Our results suggest that coseismic slip patterns are strongly controlled by spatial normal stress variations and subsequent accumulated shear stress along fault strike. Major microquakes occur preferentially in zones of major shear stress asperities. Coseismic slip distributions exhibit a pattern similar to the along-fault applied normal stress distribution. The occurrence of isolated low to moderate microquakes where residual stresses persist around secondary stress asperities, indicates that stress conditions along the fault also control the whole variability of fault slip events. Moreover, when fault slip stability conditions are modulated by normal stress distribution, our experiments suggest that the along-fault stress heterogeneity influences the seismic cycle regularity and, consequently, long-term fault slip behavior. Uniform applied normal stress favors irregular seismic cycles and the occurrence of earthquakes clustering, whereas non-uniform normal stress with a single high amplitude stress asperity generates strong characteristic microquake events with stable return periods. Together our results strengthen the assumption that coseismic slip distribution and earthquake variability along an active fault may provide relevant information on long term tectonic stress and could thus improve seismic hazard assessment.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01666379
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01666379
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2017.10.009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Different applications of linear elasticity in structural geology are presented in this thesis through the development of three types of numerical computer codes. The first one uses forward modeling to study displacement and perturbed stress fields around complexly faulted regions. We show that incorporating inequality constraints, such as static Coulomb friction, enables one to explain the angle of initiation of jogs in extensional relays. Adding heterogeneous material properties and optimizations, such as parallelization on multicore architectures and complexity reduction, admits more complex models. The second type deals with inverse modeling, also called parameter estimation. Linear slip inversion on faults with complex geometry, as well as paleo-stress inversion using a geomechanical approach, are developed. The last type of numerical computer code is dedicated to restoration of complexly folded and faulted structures. It is shown that this technique enables one to check balanced cross-sections, and also to retrieve fault chronology. Finally, we show that this code allows one to smooth noisy 3D interpreted faulted and folded horizons using geomechanics.
Différentes applications de l'élasticité linéaire en géologie structurale sont présentées dans cette thèse à travers le développement de trois types de codes numériques. Le premier utilise la modélisation directe pour étudier les déplacements et champs de contraintes autour de zones faillées complexes. On montre que l'ajout de contraintes inégalitaires, telles que la friction de Coulomb, permet d'expliquer l'angle d'initiation des dominos dans les relais extensifs. L'ajout de matériaux hétérogènes et d'optimisations, telles la parallélisation sur processeurs multi-coeurs ainsi que la réduction de complexité des modèles, permettent l'étude de modèles beaucoup plus complexes. Le second type de code numérique utilise la modélisation inverse, aussi appelée estimation de paramètres. L'inversion linéaire de déplacements sur les failles ainsi que la détermination de paléo-contraintes utilisant une approche géomécanique sont développées. Le dernier type de code numérique concerne la restauration de structures complexes plissées et faillées. Il est notamment montré qu'une telle méthode permet de vérifier l'équilibre de coupes géologiques, ainsi que de retrouver la chronologie des failles. Finalement, nous montrons que ce même code permet de lisser des horizons 3D faillés, plissés et bruités en utilisant la géomécanique.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00537899

tel-00537899
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00537899
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00537899/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00537899/file/thesemaerten.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Wallace (1951) and Bott (1959) were the first to introduce the idea that the slip on each fault surface has the same direction and sense as the maximum shear stress resolved on that surface. However, this simplified hypothesis is questionable since fault mechanical interactions may induce slip reorientations. Earlier numerical geomechanical models confirmed that the slickenlines (slip vectors) are not necessarily parallel to the maximum resolved shear stress but are consistent with local stress perturbations. This leads us to ask as to what extent the Wallace and Bott simplifications are reliable as a basis hypothesis for stress inversion from fault slip data. Here, a geomechanical multi-parametric study using a 3D boundary element method, covering (i) fault geometries such as intersected faults or corrugated fault surfaces, (ii) the full range of Andersonian state of stress, (iii) fault friction, (iv) fault fluid pressure, (v) half space effect and (vi), rock properties, is performed in order to understand the effect of each parameter on the misfit angle between geomechanical slip vectors and the resolved shear stresses. It is shown that significant misfit angles can be found under specific configurations invalidating the Wallace and Bott assumptions, even though fault friction tends to minimize the misfit. We therefore conclude that in such cases, stress inversions based on fault slip data should be interpreted with care.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01218418
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01218418
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2015.06.030

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : We present the hierarchical matrix (H-matrix) technique combined with the adaptive cross-approximation (ACA) applied to a three-dimensional (3D) elastostatic problem using the boundary element method (BEM). This is used in structural geology and geomechanics for the evaluation of the deformation and perturbed stress field associated with surfaces of displacement discontinuity. Such optimization significantly reduces (i) the time and memory needed for the resolution of the system of equations, but more importantly (ii) the time needed for the post-processing at observation points where the deformation and the perturbed stress field are evaluated. Specifically, it is shown that the H-matrix structure used with the ACA, clearly captures the kernel smoothness during the post-processing stage according to the field point positions, and optimizes the computation accordingly. Combined with the parallelization on multi-core processors, this technique allows intensive computations to be done on personal desktop and laptop computers. Numerical simulations are presented, showing the advantages of such optimizations compared to the standard method.
ISSN: 0955-7997

hal-00561032
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00561032
DOI : 10.1016/j.enganabound.2009.10.016

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : Some major challenges for geophysicists and structural geologists using three-dimensional boundary element method codes (3D-BEM) are: (1) reducing the amount of memory required to solve large and dense systems and (2) incorporation of inequality constraints such as traction inequality constraints (TIC) and displacement inequality constraints (DIC). The latter serves two purposes. First, for example, inequality constraints can be used to simulate frictional slip (using TIC). Second, these constraints can prevent element interpenetration while allowing opening mode (using DIC). We have developed a method that simultaneously incorporates both types of functionality of the inequality constraints. We show that the use of an appropriate iterative solver not only avoids the allocation of significant memory for solving the system (allowing very large model computation and simplifying parallelization on multi-core processors), but also admits interesting features such as natural incorporation of TICs and DICs. Compared to other techniques of contact management (e.g., Lagrange multipliers, penalty method, or complementarity problem), this new simple methodology, which does not use any incremental trial-and-error procedures, brings more flexibility, while making the system more stable and less subject to round-off errors without any computational overhead. We provide validations and comparisons of the inequality constraints implementation using 2D analytical and numerical solutions.
ISSN: 1420-0597

hal-00561035
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00561035
DOI : 10.1007/s10596-009-9170-x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Fault friction is a parameter that is difficult to assess along fault zones since its determination depends on the knowledge of any factor controlling the state of stress around faults. In brittle homogeneous rocks, a limited number of these factors, such as the shape of the fault surface, the vicinity of fault tips or the remote stress ratio, are crucial to constrain for this determination. In this paper, we propose to analyse a field example in which all these properties are met and where the nature of the slipped structure suggest differences in static friction. We compare the orientations of branching fractures at strike-slip relay zones between en echelon stylolites and en echelon joints both reactivated in shear. The field data are compared with both photoelastic and 3-D numerical models that consider the remote stress conditions and the role of the geometry of the strike-slip segments. Based on field observations, these analyses quantitatively demonstrate the significant role of fault friction on the local stress field orientation and subsequent fracture formation. This work points out that estimations of fault friction based on analyses of fracture patterns or in situ stresses must be accompanied with a thorough investigation of the 3-D fault shape, its segmentation and the remote stress state.
ISSN: 0191-8141

hal-00560999
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00560999
DOI : 10.1016/j.jsg.2010.01.008

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Four decades after their introduction, the validity of fault slip inversion methods based on Wallace (1951) and Bott (1959) hypothesis, which states that the slip on each fault surface has the same direction and sense as the maximum resolved shear stress, is still a subject of debate. According to some authors, this hypothesis is questionable since fault mechanical interactions induce slip reorientations as confirmed by geomechanical models. This leads us to ask as to what extent the Wallace-Bott simplifications are reliable as a basis hypothesis for stress inversion from fault slip data. In this paper, we compare two inversion methods; the first is based on the Wallace-Bott hypothesis, and the second relies on geomechanics and mechanical effects on fault heterogeneous slip distribution. In that context, a multi-parametric stress inversion study covering (i) the friction coefficients (μ), (ii) the full range of Andersonian state of stress and (iii) slip data sampling along the faults is performed. For each tested parameter, the results of the mechanical stress inversion and the Wallace-Bott (WB) based stress inversion for slip are compared in order to understand their respective effects. The predicted discrepancy between the solutions of both stress inversion methods (based on WB and mechanics) will then be used to explain the stress inversions results for the chimney Rock case study. It is shown that a high solution discrepancy is not always correlated with the misfit angle (ω ) and can be found under specific configurations (View the MathML sourceR−, θ, μ, geometry) invalidating the WB solutions. We conclude that in most cases the mechanical stress inversion and the WB based stress inversion are both valid and complementary depending on the fault friction. Some exceptions (i.e. low fault friction, simple fault geometry and pure regimes) that may lead to wrong WB based stress inversion solutions are highlighted.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01467165
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01467165
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2016.11.039