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Mark D. Zoback
Professor of Geophysics
Week 1 – Lecture 2
The Tectonic Stress Field
Section 1
• Basic Definitions
• Anderson’s Stress Classification
Scheme
• Stress Orientations Near Salt Domes
Section 2
• Stress Magnitudes at Depth
• HW -1 Calculating Sv
Section 3
• Measuring In-Situ Stress
• Regional Stress Patterns
• Local Stress Perturbations
Figure 1.1 – pg.6
Components of a Geomechanical Model
Additional Components of a
Geomechanical Model
UCS
Pp – Pore Pressure
Pp
UCS – Rock Strength (from logs)
Fractures and Faults (from Image
Shmin SHmax
Logs, Seismic, etc.)
4
Zoback and Zoback (1980, 1989)
Generalized World Stress Map
180 270 0 90 180
70 70
35 35
0 0
SHmax in
-35 compressional
-35
domain
SHmax and Shmin
in strike-slip
domain
Shmin in
extensional
domain
Sv Shmin SHmax
Normal
b
Shmin
SHmax
Tectonic regimes are s
hmin
defined in terms ofsv
the
a. Sv > SHmax > Shmin Normal
Sv Shmin
relationship
SHmax
between
Strike-Slip
the vertical stress (Sv)
and two mutually X
SHmax perpendicular
Shmin
horizontal stresses
b. SHmax > Sv > Shmin Strike-slip
Sv (SHmaxS and Shmin)
Reverse Shmin Hmax
sHmax
SHmax
Shmin sv
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv Reverse
Relative Stress Magnitudes and
Faulting Regimes
Regime/Stress S1 S2 S3
Normal Sv SHmax Shmin
Sv Shmin SHmax
Normal
b
Shmin
SHmax shmin
X
SHmax
Shmin
b. SHmax > Sv > Shmin Strike-slip
sHmax
SHmax
Shmin sv
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv Reverse
Sv Shmin SHmax
Normal
b
Shmin
s
SHmax
Geologic Structures Reflect s
Either hmin
Strike-Slip
Past
S v or Current
S Stress
Shmin
Fields (or Both)
Hmax
but X
S hmin
In This Class We are Almost Always
S Hmax
b. Going
SHmax > Svto be Interested Strike-slip
> Shmin in the Current Stress State
Reverse Sv Shmin SHmax
sHmax
SHmax
Shmin sv
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv Reverse
SHmax
S hmin
S hmin
Strike-Slip/Reverse faulting (2.0)
SHmax > Sv ~ Shmin
SHmax SHmax
S hmin
Variations of Regional Stress Magnitudes
70 70
35 35
0 0
SHmax in
-35 compressional
-35
domain
SHmax and Shmin
in strike-slip
domain
Shmin in
extensional
domain
Section 2
• Stress Magnitudes at Depth
• HW -1 Calculating Sv
Section 3
• Measuring In-Situ Stress
• Regional Stress Patterns
• Local Stress Perturbations
Anderson 3 – Critically Stressed Faults
SHmax
S hmin
S hmin
Strike-Slip/Reverse faulting (2.0)
SHmax > Sv ~ Shmin
SHmax SHmax
S hmin
Range of Stress Magnitudes at Depth
Hydrostatic Pp
Overpressure at Depth
z
SV(z) = ∫ -
r(z)gdz ~ rgz
0
z
Sv(z) = rwgzw + ∫
0
-
r(z)gdz ~ rwgzw + rg(z-zw)
Sv Shmin SHmax
Normal
b
Shmin Hydraulic Fractures
SHmax shmin
Always Propagate
sv
a. Sv > SHmax > Shmin Perpendicular
Normal to the
Sv
Strike-Slip Shmin LeastSHmax
Principal
Stress, S3
X
SHmax In 1948, HF
Shmin
b. SHmax > Sv > Shmin
Orientations
Strike-slip
Were
Reverse Sv Shmin
HotlySDebated,
Hmax
Were
They Horizontal,
Vertical, Radial?
sHmax
SHmax
Shmin sv
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv Reverse
Anderson Classification of Relative Stress Magnitudes
Sv Shmin SHmax
Normal
b
Shmin Hydraulic Fractures
SHmax shmin
Always Propagate
sv
a. Sv > SHmax > Shmin Perpendicular
Normal to the
Sv
Strike-Slip Shmin LeastSHmax
Principal
Stress, S3
X
SHmax What Happens when
Shmin
b. SHmax > Sv > Shmin
Shmin ~S?
Strike-slip v
Sv
Reverse Shmin (SS/RF
SHmaxStress Field)
sHmax
SHmax
Shmin sv
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv Reverse
Visund Field, Northern North Sea
Determining Overburden Stress from Density
Section 2
• Stress Magnitudes at Depth
• HW -1 Calculating Sv
Section 3
• Measuring In-Situ Stress
• Regional Stress Patterns
• Local Stress Perturbations
Horizontal Principal Stress Measurement
Stress Orientation
Stress-induced wellbore breakouts (Ch. 6)
Stress-induced tensile wall fractures (Ch. 6)
Hydraulic fracture orientations (Ch. 6)
Earthquake focal plane mechanisms (Ch. 5)
Shear velocity anisotropy (Ch. 8)
Table 1-2 p. 15
Visund Field Orientations
Stress Map of Northern North Sea
*Light blue arrow indicates relative motion of the Costa Rica-Panama block with respect to the central North Andean
block
Fig. 1.9 – p. 24
Regional Stress in Western California
depth (m)
S azimuth
Hmax