Numerical and Physical Modeling of Flexural Slip Phenomena and Potential for Fault Movement

Numerical and Physical Modeling of Flexural Slip Phenomena and Potential for Fault Movement. In the course of a site evaluation study for a proposed liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal on the West Coast of the United States, geomechanical studies were undertaken to complement conventional geological investigations. The geologic structure under investigation was a flexural fold formed by a compressional tectonic environment. It consists of an approximately 4000 foot thick shale deposit, with bedding planes dipping roughly 45 degrees and outcropping at the rock surface. Continuous folding had produced several reverse bedding plane faults, with slip separations at the bedrock surface of up to 8 feet in the last 100 000 to 200 000 years.