Fault zones

My research also focuses on characterising the structural heterogeneity in other fault zones. While faults are typically envisaged as discrete planes, perhaps with some off-fault damage either side, diligent analysis of faults in outcrop reveals that most faults are complex, heterogenous, and highly varied. My research into this variability between faults and heterogeneity within faults is led by detailed and quantitative characterisation of outcrops using fieldwork, virtual outcrop models, and statistical analysis to show what faults actually look like and how they behave in response to stresses and as pathways/barriers to fluids. Much of this research is part of the BMWK-funded RESTLESS project into induced earthquakes in the Upper Rhine Graben in response to hydrothermal exploitation.

Selected Figures