Elasto-thermo-visco-plastic numerical modelling from a laboratory to geodynamic scale: implications for convergence-driven experiments

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive elasto-thermo-visco-plastic model to simulate deformation localization in subduction zones, highlighting the roles of shear heating, dilatation, and confining pressure in shear band formation.

Contribution

It introduces a coupled energy-mechanical constitutive model with a non-associative flow rule for geodynamic scale simulations of lithospheric deformation.

Findings

Dilatational effects promote shear band development and shear heating.

High temperature favors shear band nucleation.

High confining pressure inhibits shear band formation.

Abstract

The development of a subduction zone, whether spontaneous or induced, encompasses a stage of strain localization and is epitomized by the growth of lithospheric-scale shear bands. Our aim in this paper, using a solid-mechanical constitutive description relevant for oceanic lithosphere, is to investigate factors that promote or inhibit localization of deformation in brittle and ductile regimes in convergence-driven numerical experiments. We used the Drucker-Prager yield criterion and a non-associative flow rule, allowing viscoplastic deformation to take directions independent of the preferred direction of yield. We present a step-by-step description of the constitutive law and the consistent algorithmic tangent modulus. The model domain contains an initial weak-zone on which localization can potentially nucleate. In solving the energy conservation problem, we incorporate a heat source term from the mechanical deformations which embodies the irreversible plastic work done. This work term couples the energy equation to the constitutive description, and hence hence the stress balance, via the evolving temperature field. On a sample-scale, we first conduct a series of isothermal benchmark tests. We then explore behavior including shear heating and volumetric work both separately and in concert. and thereby address the (in)significance of the latter, and hence assess their potential importance. We find that dilatational effects mostly enhance both shear band development and shear heating. We also observe that high temperature promotes shear band development whereas high confining pressure inhibits it, and infer that the competition between these factors is likely to be the major influence on the position within the lithosphere where shear bands nucleate.