NONLINEAR DIFFUSION OF TECTONIC STRESSES

Abstract

If rocks are fragmented, then shear causes them to become less compact via the mechanism of dilatancy, and thus one observes an increase in the effective viscosity, as well as in the shear rate. It has been found in particular that dilatancy is exhibited by quartz powers, suspensions and pastes at high concentrations, and the like. It has been suggested that, the given equation be used to describe the flow of geologic bodies in the cataclastic state at high pressures and temperatures. This suggestion is based on the idea that cataclastic flow involves the rearrangement of the packing of particles, possibly in the presence of fluids (melts or moisture). This paper describes an analysis of the model of nonlinear stress diffusion.