Strength of Dry and Wet Quartz in the Low-Temperature Plasticity Regime: Insights From Nanoindentation

At low-temperature and high-stress conditions, quartz deformation is controlled by the kinetics of dislocation glide, that is, low-temperature plasticity (LTP). To investigate the relationship between intracrystalline H₂O content and the yield strength of quartz LTP, we have integrated spherical and Berkovich nanoindentation tests at room temperature on natural quartz with electron backscatter diffraction and secondary-ion mass spectrometry measurements of intracrystalline H₂O content. Dry (<20 wt ppm H₂O) and wet (20–100 wt ppm H₂O) crystals exhibit comparable indentation hardness. Quartz yield strength, which is proportional to indentation hardness, seems to be unaffected by the intracrystalline H₂O content when deformed under room temperature, high-stress conditions. Pre-indentation intracrystalline microstructure may have provided a high density of dislocation sources, influencing the first increments of low-temperature plastic strains. Our results have implications for fault strength at the frictional-viscous transition and during transient deformation by LTP, such as seismogenic loading and post-seismic creep.