Recent progress in studies on the nano-sized particle layer in rock shear planes

Abstract

Since the 1990s, an ultramicro-particle texture in nano- or micron-sized scale has been continually found in shear planes of various rocks, and recently further progress was made in generic physical mechanisms. In this article, the characteristics of the nano-sized particle layer in rock shear planes (including widespread distribution, layering texture, non-linear genetic mechanism, and multiple functions) on an ultra micro-scale were briefly introduced and more information was obtained by analyzing cases from home and abroad. Our findings suggest that (1) there is a paragenetic relationship between the development of shear frictional-viscous and the formation of nano-sized particles, and (2) in the shear movement, partitioning, segregating, and layering in rocks are initiated by the sliding motion of the nano-sized particle layer. Moreover, the plastic rheology of rocks is essentially the movement of ultra-micro-sized particles (nano-size and micro-size), and the nano-sized particle layer in rock shear planes is characterized by some particular physical and chemical effects.