Evolving Rock Structure: From Grain-Scale to Planet-Scale

Rock microstructures hold the key to unraveling complex rock history. The physical properties and rheology of rocks, both controlled and expressed by the microstructures, exhibit substantial spatio-temporal variability in response to mechanical, chemical and thermal loads. Therefore, correlating physical properties with rock structure at various scales, in three dimensions, and in four dimensions when time evolution is considered, remains a grand challenge of Rock Deformation research. Transformative studies call for the integration of novel experimental approaches, state-of-the-art imaging technologies, improving geophysical techniques, and geodynamic models. At the 2014 GRC on Rock Deformation, leading experts in experimental rock deformation, structural geology, earthquake seismology, geodesy, geodynamics, mineral physics, material science, petroleum engineering, and planetary geology will discuss recent progress and outstanding questions in characterizing structural evolution across multiple length scales. Central themes for the conference include 1) Fault anatomy, fault strength, transient slip, and fluid pressure evolution during the earthquake cycle; 2) Hydration and grain size evolution of ductile shear zones their implications for plate dynamics; 3) Fast developing X-ray imaging technologies, which revolutionize experimental rock deformation research by allowing, for the first time, the quantification of evolving microstructures and pore distributions in a deforming rock to reveal fundamental hydro-chemo-thermo-mechanical couplings; 4) The potentials and risks associated with shale gas extraction and geological carbon dioxide sequestration. New results on the physical and chemical fluid-rock interactions during the increasingly commonplace technique of "fracking" and their effects on rock strength, fault stability, and aquifer properties will be discussed; 5) The relevance of rock deformation research for planetary exploration. The diversity of geological features revealed by robotic missions to other planets and their satellites, including the icy bodies of the Jupiter and Saturn systems provides an ever-expending view of the manifestations of rock deformation under extreme conditions.

In addition to the programmed sessions, there will be ample opportunity for informal gatherings and interactions in the afternoons and evenings. This format, unique to GRC, provides a collegial atmosphere that encourages junior scientists and graduate students to push forward the frontiers of science, and promotes interdisciplinary collaborations across different fields.