Field and laboratory studies of ductile strain localization on different length scales

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Finite strain in rocks is localized on different scales, from the intragranular scale to the scale of plate boundaries. In fact, the segmentation of the Earth's lithosphere into plates is a direct manifestation of strain localization. Over the years, several questions related to strain localization have vexed both earth scientists and materials scientists: (1) What processes govern the length- and time-scales of localization? How does localization affect the bulk mechanical properties of materials? Once strain localization patterns are established, how stable are these patterns with continued strain? These questions are not merely of academic interest, but have broader relevance for industrial society, as localization is tied to such diverse phenomena as earthquakes and mechanical instability of enigneering materials. To answer these questions, we propose a combined field and laboratory program. ... The overriding goal of the project is to establish scaling parameters for strain localization patterns, and to determine the processes underlying the evolution of these patterns in time and space. Such scaling parameters are required if there is to be any progress in geodynamic modeling of orogneses, rifting, or in deterministic modeling of seismicity.