Hot topics Fall 2023

Hot papers | In September, several project papers in Journal of Structural Geology have been recognized by the publisher for high download numbers in the past 90 days. These numbers indicate interest in our work.

No. 1. Fracture pattern growth in the deep, chemically reactive environment, Hooker et al., 2023 | view
No. 3. Scale-dependent fracture networks, Forstner & Laubach, 2022 | view
No. 5. Microfractures: a review, Anders, Laubach, Scholz, 2014 | view

In the top ten last month: Rigorizing the use of the coefficient of variation to diagnose fracture periodicity and clustering, Hooker, Marrett, Wang | view

Highly cited | According to ISI Web of Science, as of March 2023, three project papers are recognized as ‘highly cited’ having received enough citations to place them in the top 1% of their academic field based on a highly cited threshold for the field and publication year:

• Laubach, S.E., Lander, R.H., Criscenti, L., et al. 2019, The role of chemistry in fracture pattern development and opportunities to advance interpretations of geological materials. Reviews of Geophysics 57 (3), 1065-1111. doi:10.1029/2019RG000671 | Link
• Gale, J.F.W., Laubach, S.E., Olson, J.E., Eichhubl, P., and Fall, A., 2014, Natural fractures in shale: a review and new observations. AAPG Bulletin 98, (11), 2165-2216. doi: 10.1306/08121413151 | Link
• Anders, M.H., Laubach, S.E., and Scholz, C.H., 2014, Microfractures: a review. Journal of Structural Geology 69, Part B, 377-394. | Link

Top cited in past 5 years–Journal of Structural Geology | According to Google Scholar, over the past five years four project papers are among the top cited works in Journal of Structural Geology:

• Laubach, S.E., Lamarche, J., Gauthier, B.D.M., Dunne, W.M., and Sanderson, D.J., 2018. Spatial arrangement of faults and opening-mode fractures. Journal of Structural Geology 108, 2-15. doi.org.10.1016/j.jsg.2017.08.008 | view at publisher
• Marrett, R., Gale, J.F.W., Gomez, L., and Laubach, S.E., 2018. Correlation analysis of fracture arrangement in space. Journal of Structural Geology 108, 16-33. doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2017.06.012 | view at publisher 
• Hooker, J.N., Laubach, S.E., and Marrett, R., 2018. Microfracture spacing distributions and the evolution of fracture patterns in sandstones. Journal of Structural Geology 108, 66-79. doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2017.04.001 | view at publisher
• Li, J.Z., Laubach, S.E., Gale, J.F.W., and Marrett, R., 2018. Quantifying opening-mode fracture spatial organization in horizontal wellbore image logs, core and outcrop: application to Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation tight gas sandstones, USA. Journal of Structural Geology 108, 137-156. doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2017.07.005 | view at publisher

Top cited in past 5 years–Petroleum Geoscience | According to Google Scholar, over the past five years a project paper is among the top cited works in Petroleum Geoscience:

• Wang, Q., Laubach, S.E., Gale, J.F.W., and Ramos, M.J., 2019. Quantified fracture (joint) clustering in Archean basement, Wyoming: application of Normalized Correlation Count method. Petroleum Geoscience, 25, 415-428. doi:10.1144/petgeo2018-146 | view at publisher

Recognition | A project paper was recognized as first runner up for the 2022 Bureau of Economic Geology Best Paper Award: Gale, J.F.W., Fall, A. Yurchenko, I.A., Ali, W.A., Laubach, S.E., Eichhubl, P., & Bodnar, R.J., 2022. Opening-mode fracturing and cementation during hydrocarbon generation in shale: An example from the Barnett Shale, Delaware Basin, West Texas. AAPG Bulletin 106(10), 2103-2141. doi:10.1306/01062219274 | view at publisher

Ultra-deep basins | Our lead-off introductory paper to the special issue of the Journal of Structural Geology on brittle deformation in deep and ultra-deep basins is published. The entire issue will be open access for the next six months.

• Laubach, S.E., Zeng, L., Hooker, J.N., Wang, Q., Zhang, R.H., Wang., J., Ren, B., 2023. Deep and ultra-deep basin brittle deformation with focus on China. Journal of Structural Geology 175, 104938 | view at publisher