structural geology, propagation mechanics and - Stanford School of ...

likely present in subsurface sandstone equivalents of the Aztec. Coming at this research
as a traditional structural geologist, I have therefore collaborated widely—in reservoir
engineering, petrophysics, and theoretical, experimental and applied mechanics—to bring
the requisite tools to bear. I could not have achieved the breadth of this thesis working in
isolation, and consider these collaborations to be a particular strength of the effort.
The thesis is comprised of seven chapters, each written as a stand-alone manuscript
intended for peer-reviewed publication. As a result, some repetition, particularly with
introductory material, was inevitable. Also, although arranged thematically, the chapters
do not necessarily flow seamlessly one into the next, as they might in a thesis written to
be a coherent book. Indeed, each paper was written with an eye toward the editorial
requirements of a different journal, and they were finished in the order: 6, 2, 3, 7, 5, 4, 1.
A discerning reader might detect evidence for the evolution of my thinking over the past
few years preserved within these pages. For example, Chapter 6 does not differentiate
compaction bands (CBs), which are prevalent in the Aztec sandstone, from the more
general category structural category of deformation bands (DBs). A brief overview of
each chapter follows.
Chapter 1 describes the occurrence and structural geology of CBs and CB arrays, and
considers their significance within the context of the depositional, diagenetic and tectonic
history of the Aztec sandstone through Cretaceous time. As the final paper written, this
draft manuscript represents a preliminary synthesis of my work in the Aztec and its
implications for predicting CB occurrence in sandstone based on material and stress
history or, conversely, interpreting material and stress history based on the occurrence of
CBs. The paper is based on my detailed observations conducted at thin-section, outcrop
and regional scales, as well as on my review and interpretation of the work of others.
David Pollard deserves substantial credit for his tutelage, editing and ability to foment
ideas. Submission of a final manuscript based on Chapter 1 to Tectonics is anticipated.
Chapter 2 presents the evidence and arguments for a mechanical interpretation of CBs
as contractile Eshelby inclusions, and for considering them as anticracks for the purposes
of propagation modeling using linear elastic theory and the displacement discontinuity
boundary element method. All of the data collection, both in the field and the lab, all of
the analytical and numerical modeling, and all of the original writing and figure drafting
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