Formation of chocolate-tablet boudins: Results from scaled analogue models

We used power-law viscous plasticine as a rock analogue to simulate chocolate tablet boudinage of rocks undergoing dislocation creep. A competent plasticine layer, oriented perpendicular to the main shortening direction, Z, underwent two phases of plane strain in a weaker plasticine matrix, with the principal stretching axis, X, and the axis of no-change, Y, replacing each other from the first to the second phase. In each phase of plane strain, boudinage was controlled by an initial phase of viscous necking followed by extension fracture along the neck domain. Increase in the magnitude of finite strain (e) and decrease in layer thickness (Hi) result in a decrease in the boudin width (Wa) and an increase in the number of boudins (N). Given the viscosity ratio between layer and matrix (m) is higher than ca. 5, the number of boudins decreases and the boudin width increases with increasing values of m. An unexpected result of the present study is that in each experiment, the number of boudins was significantly higher during the second phase of plane strain. This difference should be related to additional drag of the matrix plasticine on the stiff layer in the neck domains formed during the first phase of boudinage. The aspect ratio of the second generation of boudins (Wd = Wa/Hi) is compatible with aspect ratios of natural boudins and with aspect ratios calculated using analytical solutions.