Mineralogical Controls on Fracture/Fault Sealing and Fluid Migration through Time

The establishment of the concept of “sealing and non-sealing” structures in the 1960s (Smith, 1966) has boosted the study of fracture and fault systems for half a century. Fracture/fault sealing is now known as a first-order intrinsic process exerting crucial control in all those geological systems in which faults and fractures play a key role in governing fluid flow. Fluid flow through fractures and faults is a dynamic process that requires, in a given deformation context, a duration in time and the occurrence of localized fluid–rock interactions causing mineral reactions that alter the barrier (mineralization) or transmissive (dissolution) behavior of fractures and faults. The evolution of mineral reactions exerts, itself, a strong control in the migration of fluids through time and at multiple scales, occurring in many different geological systems and phenomena, such as evolution from rifts to orogens, genesis of economic mineralization, reservoirs during production or storage of fluids including CO₂ or contaminated wastewater, and induced seismicity related to the exploitation of geothermal and non-conventional hydrocarbon resources. However, a complete understanding of fracture and fault sealing controls on fluid migration through time in different geological systems and at different scales is still a matter of intensive and future research.

In this Special Issue, we welcome submissions bringing the latest concepts and methods developed on fracture and fault sealing and its role in fluid migration. We encourage contributions that open up the concept of fracture/fault sealing to broader contexts of application and particularly contributions that focus on the mineralogical controls on fracture and fault sealing. This Special Issue aims not only to update the knowledge on the subject but also to offer suggestions for future research, both fundamental and in accord with actual societal needs.

Dr. Antonio Benedicto
Dr. Richard. A. Schultz
Dr. Christopher Wibberley
Prof. Dr. Janos L. Urai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.