UFAZ Graduate’s Research Paper Published in Geophysical Research Letters

Another research paper by Kamal Bayramov, a graduate of the French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ) and a PhD candidate at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU) and the University of Strasbourg (Unistra) under the joint Cotutelle doctoral programme, has been published in the Q1 journal Geophysical Research Letters (GRL).

In the research paper entitled “Time-dependent (Creep) Compaction in Volcanic Rocks”, Kamal Bayramov, whose research focuses on rock mechanics, and his co-authors experimentally investigated the time-dependent compaction process, known as “compaction creep”, in porous volcanic rocks.

The study involved various laboratory experiments on porous trachyandesite samples collected from the Volvic region of France. The research demonstrated that, under constant pressure, the rocks undergo deformation over time, their porosity gradually decreases, and compaction continues.

The results of the experiments showed that the compaction process in volcanic lava rocks is not limited to instantaneous mechanical changes but can continue over an extended period. The researchers also found that this process is accompanied by the formation of localised compaction zones, known as “compaction bands”, within the rock.

The paper notes that this process has important implications for the long-term evolution of volcanic systems and the behaviour of geothermal reservoirs. Time-dependent compaction can reduce the porosity and permeability of rocks, thereby affecting fluid flow in geothermal reservoirs. At the same time, increasing pore pressure and decreasing permeability in volcanic structures may influence processes related to volcanic stability.

The findings also demonstrate that a better understanding of the mechanisms of time-dependent compaction is important for predicting the long-term behaviour of volcanic systems, assessing volcanic hazards, and managing geothermal and CO₂ storage systems.

The full text of the paper is available via the following link: Time-dependent (Creep) Compaction in Volcanic Rocks – Geophysical Research Letters