Development of crystallographic preferred orientation during cataclasis in low-temperature carbonate fault gouge

Grain size reduction due to cataclasis is a key process controlling fault frictional properties during the seismic cycle. We investigated the role of cleavage planes on fracturing and microstructural evolution during cataclasis in wet and dry carbonate fault gouges (50 wt% calcite, 50 wt% dolomite) deformed in a rotary-shear apparatus over a wide range of slip rates (30 μms−1 to 1 ms−1) and displacements (0.05–0.4 m). During shearing, progressive strain localization forms a narrow slip zone that undergoes significant frictional heating (at high slip rates), but the bulk gouge always accommodates low finite shear strains and deforms at low temperatures. Microstructural analysis of the bulk gouges indicates that deformation occurred by brittle fracturing and twinning. Microfractures in calcite are closely spaced, often exploit {101¯4} cleavage r-rhomb planes, and occur mainly subparallel to the expected principal stress orientation (σ1). Instead, twin planes typically occur sub-perpendicular to σ1. Electron backscatter diffraction analysis of the bulk gouges shows that calcite develops a well-defined crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) at all investigated deformation conditions. The CPO is defined by a clustering of the calcite c-axes around an orientation sub-parallel to σ1. The calcite CPO is interpreted to result from grain rotation during granular flow, followed by brittle fracturing that occurred preferentially along calcite cleavage planes. This interpretation is supported by measurements of calcite grain shape-preferred orientations that show a population of elongate calcite grains oriented with their long axes sub-parallel to σ1. Our experimental results indicate that well-defined CPOs can form at low temperature in cataclastic fault rocks, and that mineral cleavage can strongly influence the evolution of grain sizes and shapes during comminution. •CPO developed in coarse-grained, low-temperature carbonate fault gouges.•CPO formed by brittle processes at all studied slip rates and displacements.•Closely-spaced microfractures exploit {101¯4} rhomb cleavage planes in calcite.•CPO interpreted to form by grain rotation and cleavage-controlled fracturing.