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In linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), veins, dikes, and sills grow in length when the stress intensity factor [K_I] at the tip reaches a critical value: the host rock fracture toughness [K_Ic]. This criterion is applied broadly in LEFM models for crack growth and assumes that the pressure inside the crack is uniform. When applied to intrusion length versus thickness scaling, a significant issue arises in that derived [K_Ic] = 300 to 3000 MPa √m, which is about 100–1000 times that of measured K_Ic values for rocks at upper crustal depths. The same scaling relationships applied to comparatively short mineral vein data gives [K_Ic] |
