SPATIAL-TEMPORAL REGULARITIES OF ACOUSTIC RESPONSE OF MODEL EXTENDED FAULT TO FLUID AND ELECTRICAL EFFECTS

Abstract

This paper presents the results of experiments to reproduce the stick-slip process along a model fault and to induce fault edge movement by fluid and electrical effects. A special feature of the experimental setup used is an extended movable block, which allows to significantly increase the area of the interblock contact filled with dry fine-grained sand. This makes it possible to study the spatial pattern of the development of active deformation zones of the contact zone by solving the problem of locating acoustic emission sources. Particular attention has been paid to the study of the response of the contact zone to the injection of water into it and to the direct application of electric current. As a result of the experimental studies, spatiotemporal patterns of the response of the model fault to an increase in shear load and fluid and electrical effects have been determined. It is shown that the effect of electric current causes an increase in acoustic emission activity throughout the area between the electrodes, except for the emission activation area at the water injection stage. It was found that the electrical action can lead to the initiation of dynamic motion with the activation of spatial areas manifested in previous action stages.