Amorphous material in high strain experimental fault gouges

The microstructures of gouges produced in room temperature, rotary shear sliding experiments were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Gouges were produced by sliding on ground surfaces of granite, quartzite, or marble except for one experiment in which a 1‐mm‐thick simulated gouge layer was used. Water was added to the sliding surfaces of all but one sample. Crystal plastic processes play no role in the granite and quartzite gouges and a minor role in the marbles. All of the gouges consist of mostly submicron crystalline fragments; in addition, the granite gouges contain 5–60% amorphous material, and the quartzite gouge contains −50% amorphous material. In the granite samples the composition of the amorphous material commonly lies between K‐rich and Na,Ca‐rich feldspars, although portions may be silica‐rich. The microstructural relations suggest that the amorphous material forms by comminution of fragments rather than by melting. The amount of amorphous material increases, and the size of the largest crystalline fragments decreases, with an increase in average shear strain, although the microstructure is nearly uniform throughout each granite gouge layer. These observations suggest that after slip becomes localized on “Y” shear surfaces and/or R 1 Riedel shears the entire gouge layer must continue to undergo deformation. It is suggested that cyclic deformation in the gouge must occur to accommodate the passage of geometric irregularities on the active slip surfaces.