Mechanical behavior of porous silicate rocks

The mechanical properties of a porous rock under pressure have various Implications in earth science and engineering ( Edmond & Paterson 1972 ), in the study of microscopic mechanisms of deformation ( Schock et al. 1973 ), in reservoir engineering and deep drilling ( Wong et al. 1992 ) and in earthquake prediction ( Brace 1978 , Gowd & Rummel 1980 ), The porosity of a rock is also strongly related to Its brittleness and ductility (e.g. Mogl 1965, Zhang et al. 1990a , Wong 1990 ). A knowledge of granulation, such as cataclasis and mylonitizatlon, under pressure is Indispensable for the study of the structure of faults at depth, since fault zones regarded as seismogenlc zones are generally considered to be composed of gouge, breccia or mylonite (e.g. Sibson 1977 , 1984 , 1986 , Wakefield 1977 , Jones & Nur 1984 , Kosaka 1980 , 1985 , Hobbs et al. 1986 ).