Predicting fault damage zones by modeling dynamic rupture propagation and comparison with field observations

We use a two-dimensional plane strain dynamic rupture model with strongly rate-weakening friction and off-fault Drucker-Prager plasticity to model damage zones associated with buried second-order thrust faults observed in the SSC reservoir. The modeling of ruptures propagating as self-sustaining pulses is performed in the framework of continuum plasticity where the plasticity formulation includes both deviatoric and volumetric plastic strains. The material deforming inelastically due to stress perturbations generated by the propagating rupture is assumed to be the damage zone associated with the fault. Dilatant plastic strains are converted into a fracture population by assuming that the dilatant plastic strain is manifested in the form of fractures. The cumulative effect of multiple slip events is considered by superposition of the plastic strain field obtained from individual slip events. The relative number of various magnitude slip events is chosen so as to honor the Gutenberg-Richter law. Results show that the decay of fracture density (F) with distance (r) from the fault can be described by a power law F = F0r− n. The fault constant F0 represents the fracture density at unit distance from the fault. The decay rate (n) in fracture density is approximately 0.85 close to the fault and increases to ~1.4 at larger distances (>10 m). Modeled damage zones are approximately 60–100 m wide. These attributes are similar to those observed in the SSC reservoir using wellbore image logs and those reported in outcrop studies. Considering fault roughness affects local damage zone characteristics, these characteristics are similar to those modeled around planar faults at a scale (~10 m) that affects bulk fluid-flow properties.