A deterministic methodology for prediction of fracture distribution in basaltic multiflows

摘要

The fracture distribution in basalt flows is a direct result of thermal processes. Thus basalt flows present a unique opportunity to characterize a nearly perfect deterministic system with its fundamental physical parameters. Fracture distribution data collected on cliff exposures of basalt flows near the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) are combined with calculations of cooling rate and temperature distribution from a finite element model to construct a predictive methodology for fracture spacing. The methodology is based on an empirical power law relationship between inverse cooling rate and fracture spacing. The methodology may be applied to unexposed basalt flows of approximately elliptical cross section whose thickness and width are constrained only by geophysical or borehole data if sufficient fracture data on nearby exposed flows are available. The methodology aids waste remediation efforts at sites involving contaminant transport through fractured basalt, such as the INEEL and the Hanford site in Washington, as well as involving transport and fluid flow through volcanic or intrusive rocks where thermal processes are responsible for fracturing. [References: 32]