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Mechanical properties can change over geologic time due to diagenesis and changes in pore pressures. Some clay-rich lithologies that are presently relatively ductile were, under different conditions, the more fracture-prone strata in a heterogeneous sequence. In this example, a calcite-mineralized vertical extension fracture in a shale tapers towards its termination against a limestone layer. At the time of fracturing, the shale was more susceptible to fracturing than the limestone. Slab from a vertical three‐inch diameter core, uphole is towards the top of the photo.
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Mechanical properties can change over geologic time due to diagenesis and changes in pore pressures. Some clay-rich lithologies that are presently relatively ductile were, under different conditions, the more fracture-prone strata in a heterogeneous sequence. In this example, a calcite-mineralized vertical extension fracture in a shale tapers towards its termination against a limestone layer. At the time of fracturing, the shale was more susceptible to fracturing than the limestone. Slab from a vertical three‐inch diameter core, uphole is towards the top of the photo.