Mint Doungkaew

I study processes of fracture growth in quartzitic sandstone of the Campito Formation, eastern California, by combining field structural observations, thin section petrography, and fluid inclusion microthermometry. Since processes of fracture formation control flow of fluid in the subsurface and the mechanical properties of the brittle crust, understanding of fundamental fracture growth mechanisms is essential for understanding fracture formation and cementation in chemically reactive systems with implications for seismic and aseismic fault and fracture processes, migration of hydrocarbons, long-term CO2 storage, and geothermal energy production.