Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Stress Distribution During Cold Compression of Rocks and Mineral Aggregates Using Synchrotron-based X-Ray Diffraction
Published on: May 20, 2018
Nonlinear mesoscopic elasticity revealed by passive seismic monitoring of a rock column during drilling operations
P Bottelin1,2, L Baillet1,2, E Larose1,2
1ISTerre, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, Université Gustave Eiffel, Grenoble, France.
Abstract:
We report the repeated in situ observation of nonlinear mesoscopic elasticity in an ∼760 m3 unstable rock column undergoing drilling for bolting reinforcement. Analysis of the anomalous nonlinear fast dynamics at the onset of drilling showed a clear correlation between top-of-column acceleration and small (a few percent) drops in resonance frequency. Slow dynamics were also observed, appearing as reproducible recovery of the fundamental resonance frequency after both drilling stopped and earthquake shaking occurred. Characteristic relaxation times ranged from tens to several hundred seconds, with recovery in log10(t) spanning about 1-2 orders of magnitude. Significant nonlinear effects affecting the column's fundamental mode arose for strains as low as 10-9-10-8, with the proportion of the affected column volume depending on drilling location. The magnitude of the observed nonlinearities exceeded that found in laboratory tests on intact rock, revealing extensive, multi-scale cracking within the column. These results demonstrate that coincidental passive seismic surveys can effectively probe nonlinearity at the geophysical scale, with potential applications in geotechnical and civil engineering and in monitoring internal fracturing of rock structures.
Related Concept Videos
Dynamic Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete
The sonic test is a common method to determine the dynamic modulus. In this test, a concrete beam, sized either 6 x 6 x 30 inches or 4 x 4 x 20 inches, is clamped at its center. Vibrations are initiated at one end of the beam by an electromagnetic exciter unit powered by a...
Elasticity in Concrete
Elastic Strain Energy for Shearing Stresses
Elastic Strain Energy for Normal Stresses
If...
Plastic Behavior
Residual Stresses in Bending

