Crack-seal microstructure evolution in bi-mineralic quartz–chlorite veins in shales and siltstones from the RWTH-1 well, Aachen, Germany

In core samples from the deep geothermal well RWTH-1 we studied Variscan quartz–chlorite veins formed by crack-seal processes in siliciclastics at the brittle to ductile transition. These sheared veins are common in sections of the well, which are interpreted as Variscan thrust zones based on image logs and seismic data. Microstructures interpreted to reflect different stages in the evolution of such crack-seal veins suggest the veins started in microcracks sealed by quartz and chlorite, to veinlets crossing multiple grains, and bundles of veinlets evolving by progressive localization into low-angle extensional shear veins and high-angle dilational jog veins. In the sheared veins, chlorite and quartz ribbons show evidence for crack-seal and simultaneous ductile shearing during vein evolution, forming peculiar fin-shaped microstructures in quartz ribbons. In high-angle dilational jogs fibrous crystals of quartz and chlorite point to multiple crack-seal events with simultaneous growth of two different mineral phases. This is interpreted to be the basic microstructural process in the veins. We extend earlier models of polycrystal growth in fractures and present a series of 2D simulations of the kinematics of crystal growth in these bi-mineralic veins for both localized and non-localized cracking. Results are compared with the observed microstructures. We show that when the relative growth rates of the two mineral phases are different, serrated grain boundaries evolve. The similarities between observation and model suggest that the assumption of our model is valid, although many second order processes require a more detailed study. We propose that the principles observed here can be applied to other bi-mineralic crack-seal veins.