Collaborative Research: Structural-Petrologic Characterization of the San Andreas Fault in the SAFOD Drill Holes

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0454527EvansThe scientific objective of SAFOD is to understand the physical and chemical processes ofdeformation and earthquake generation within an active, plate-bounding fault. Comprehensiveunderstanding will be possible only if the structure and geochemistry of the fault zone arethoroughly documented and integrated with other data. This collaborative effort will characterizethe composition, structure and deformation mechanisms of the San Andreas fault at theObservatory. Observations of core and cuttings from the pilot hole and first two phases of drilling(2004-2005), and of samples from fault exposures near the drill site, will be integrated withgeophysical and hydrologic data presented in other SAFOD studies to address key questionsregarding structure, physical properties and mechanics of the fault, and to test hypotheses ofearthquake rupture dynamics, energy balance, and fault weakening. Work includes determiningfault rock lithology, and distributions and orientations of fractures, secondary faults, veins, andparticle sizes, and targeting key structures for detailed microstructure, mineralogy, andgeochemistry analyses.