Topology of Fracture Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to analyze 3D fracture systems using network theory, revealing small-world and disassortative properties in real fracture outcrops and small-world but assortative properties in simulated networks.

Contribution

It presents a novel mapping from fracture systems to network models, enabling the application of modern network analysis to geological fracture data.

Findings

Real fracture networks are small-world and disassortative.

Simulated fracture networks are small-world and assortative.

Network analysis provides new insights into fracture system topology.

Abstract

We propose a mapping from fracture systems consisting of intersecting fracture sheets in three dimensions to an abstract network consisting of nodes and links. This makes it possible to analyze fracture systems with the methods developed within modern network theory. We test the mapping for two-dimensional geological fracture outcrops and find that the equivalent networks are small-world and dissasortative. By anlayzing the Discrete Fracture Network model, which is used to generate artifical fracture networks, we also find small world networks. However, the networks turn out to be assortative.