Permeability of a fault zone crosscutting a sequence of sandstones and shales and its influence on hydraulic head distribution in the Chatsworth Formation, California, USA

Faults influence groundwater flow paths. The transport of groundwater contaminants within the faulted sandstones and shales of Chatsworth Formation exposed in southern California, USA, have been investigated. Structural and hydrogeological data are combined to interpret the hydraulic-head drop measured across a fault with tens of meters of oblique-slip. The fault zone architecture was delineated at two locations: an outcrop and a borehole intersecting the fault at depth. At the first station, the fault juxtaposes sandstones against shales with a fault core mostly consisting of deformed shale. A series of shale beds striking parallel to the fault zone and dipping ∼50° toward the fault zone provides evidence that the shale was incorporated into the fault zone. At the second station, borehole images show a plane juxtaposing fractured sandstone against shale-rich fault rock. Hydraulic heads measured at 30 wells show a drop of 75 m across the fault, which is interpreted to be a result of the low-permeability shaley fault rock. It is proposed that the shale was incorporated into the fault zone by shale smearing. These results are consistent with numerical modeling, which requires a low-permeability fault core to simulate the observed hydraulic head differences. Understanding the hydraulic nature of this fault provides a critical constraint for evaluating the future migration of contaminants in the groundwater system.