Pulsating strains

Ruud Weijermars*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Pulsating strains are modelled analytically using a continuum model with a well defined heterogeneous rheology. The mechanical continuum comprises single circular cylindrical inclusions of isotropic homogeneous viscosity hosted in a less viscous matrix. The analysis concentrates on the behaviour of the competent inclusion and demonstrates that the progressive deformation of the inclusion is entirely controlled by its viscosity ratio to the host and the orientation of the far field stress. The rate of deformation is determined by the stress magnitude and the viscosity of the inclusion, but does not affect the deformation path followed. An extreme case is provided by pure shear deformations where, by definition, the shear rate vanishes from the deformation tensor. Vorticity will then be zero, and strains will develop coaxially without pulsation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)51-67
Number of pages17
JournalTectonophysics
Volume220
Issue number1-4
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Apr 1993
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The photographso f Figure 8 were taken during a pre-conference field trip (Mechanical Intabilities Meeting, Montpellier, September 1991)t hrough the French Pyreneesl ed by Maurice Brunei of the Laboratoire de Tectonique et Geochronologie,U niversited es Sciencese t Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier. Michel de Saint Blanquat is thanked for allowing me to publisht his snapshoto f his Ph.D.-area.T his work benefittedf rom discussionsw ith Hans Ramberg and critical commentsb y Gerhard Oertel. Plotting of Figure 6 was subcontractedt o Alexei Poliakov of Uppsala University, and other draft work was done by Jeanette Bergmano f Tellurit. This work was supportedb y researchg rantsf rom the Swedish Natural Science Research Council (NFR).

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • Earth-Surface Processes

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