Post-failure deformation mode switching in volcanic rock

Beyond a threshold applied compressive stress, porous rocks typically undergo either dilatant or compactant inelastic deformation and the response of their physical properties to deformation mode is key to mass transport, heat transport and pressure evolution in crustal systems. Transitions in failure modes—involving switches between dilatancy and compaction —have also been observed, but to date have received little attention. Here, we perform a series of targeted mechanical deformation experiments on porous andesites, designed to elucidate complex post-failure deformation behaviour. By investigating a sample suite and effective pressure range that straddles the transition between positive and negative volumetric responses to compression, we show two post-failure critical stress states: a transition from compaction to dilation (C∗′), and a transition from dilation to compaction, which we term C′∗. We demonstrate that multiple switches in deformation mode can be driven by stress application under conditions relevant to the shallow crust. While the effect on fluid flow properties of compaction-to-dilation switching may be masked by a net reduction in sample porosity, samples that underwent dilatant-to-compactant failure mode switching exhibited an increase in permeability of approximately two orders of magnitude, despite only slight net volumetric change. Such a substantial permeability enhancement underscores the importance of post-failure deformation in influencing solute and heat transfer in the crust, and the generation of supra-hydrostatic fluid pressures in volcanic environments.