Water saturation in texturally porous carbonate rocks: Shock thermodynamics and dampening of the shock

Abstract

Sedimentary rocks often form the upper layers or the entire target rocks in impact events. Thermodynamic properties of sedimentary rocks related to porosity and water saturation affect the process of impact crater formation. The heterogeneous distribution of sedimentary facies can complicate the development and distribution of shock effects, especially in numerical modeling. This work focuses on the shock thermodynamic properties of carbonate rocks with differing porosity textures (e.g., isolated pores, interstitial porosity, elongated pores) and water saturation levels. Using mesoscale numerical modeling, we found that water saturation reduces shock temperatures compared to those in dry, porous carbonate rocks. The orientation of elongated pores and porosity lineations influences the shock temperature distribution and rock deformation at angles of 50-90° to the shock front. Additionally, due to complex shock wave interactions, interstitial porosity is key in creating temperature zonations around larger grains.