Fracture density variations within a reservoir-scale normal fault zone: A case study from shallow-water carbonates of southern Italy

Fault zones can often display a complex internal structure associated with antithetic faults, branch and tip points, bed rotations, bed-parallel slip surfaces, and subordinate synthetic faults. We explore how these structural complexities may affect the development of fault-related fractures as displacement accumulates. We analysed in detail an incipient fault zone within well-bedded, shallow-water carbonates of the southern Apennines thrust belt (Italy). The fault zone crops out with quasi-complete exposure at a reservoir scale on an inaccessible sub-vertical cliff face, and fault and fracture mapping were carried out on a 3D virtual outcrop model of the exposure built for this study using photogrammetry. Comparing the structure of the fault zone and the density of 9444 mapped fractures allowed us to unravel their spatial relationships. Our results show that the areas of denser fractures coincide with: (i) rock volumes bounded by antithetic faults developed within the fault zone, (ii) branch points between these antithetic faults and fault zone-bounding fault segments, (iii) fault zone-bounding fault segments associated with significant displacement gradients, and (iv) relay zones between subordinate synthetic faults. These findings may aid locating sub-seismic resolution volumes of dense fracturing and associated enhanced permeability within faulted reservoirs.

Automated summary

By studying an incipient fault zone in shallow-water carbonates of the southern Apennines thrust belt, we found that areas of denser fractures are associated with different structures within the fault zone, including antithetic faults, branch points, and fault segments with significant displacement gradients. This may help in locating volumes of dense fracturing and enhanced permeability within faulted reservoirs.