Geological implications of a permeability-depth curve for the continental crust
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Abstract
The decrease in permeability (k) of the continental crust with depth (z), as constrained by geothermal data and calculated fluid flux during metamorphism, is given by log k = −14 − 3.2 log z, where k is in meters squared and z is in kilometers. At moderate to great crustal depths (>∼5 km), this curve is defined mainly by data from prograde metamorphic systems, and is thus applicable to orogenic belts where the crust is being thickened and/or heated; lower permeabilities may occur in stable cratonic regions. This k-z relation implies that typical metamorphic fluid flux values of ∼10−11 m/s are consistent with fluid pressures significantly above hydrostatic values. The k-z curve also predicts that metamorphic CO2 flux from large orogens may be sufficient to cause significant climatic effects, if retrograde carbonation reactions are minimal, and suggests a significant capacity for diffuse degassing of Earth (1015–1016 g/yr) in tectonically active regions.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Geological implications of a permeability-depth curve for the continental crust |
| Series title | Geology |
| DOI | 10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<1107:GIOAPD>2.3.CO;2 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Year Published | 1999 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Geological Society of America |
| Description | 4 p, |
| First page | 1107 |
| Last page | 1110 |
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