A graph of the scaling relationship between fluid flow and fracture stiffness is shown. The shape of the symbol indicates the fracture length scale from 0.0625 meter (circles) to 1 meter (triangle) ...

All rocks in the earth's crust are fractured to some extent. Fractures form in response to stress. The origin of stress can be lithostatic (arising from the weight of the earth's crust), high fluid ...

To gain a deeper understanding of a wide range of geological processes, such as plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanic diking, we need to have a knowledge of both past and present in situ stress ...

At-a-Glance: Hydraulic fracturing boosts shale well productivity by creating a high-conductivity fracture network that shortens the flow path from nano-Darcy matrix to the wellbore, multiplies ...

Researchers at Drexel University have found that certain liquids can snap apart like solids when pulled hard enough, a ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A team of researchers has created a way to quickly and remotely evaluate fluid flow in subsurface fractures that could impact aquifers, oil and gas extraction, sequestration of ...

This chapter addresses methods for the remote detection and characterization of fractures in the subsurface. These indirect detection methods are mainly geophysical in nature and rely on the physical ...

"The units of measurement that describe the different fracture properties span 10 orders of magnitude, which means fluid flow varies by 10 orders of magnitude or more -- fractures are mathematically ...