Pressure solution and viscous compaction in sedimentary basins

Mathematical models of compaction in sedimentary basins typically assume a relationship between effective pressure p(e) and porosity phi, which is of a non-linear type; that is, p(e) = p(e)(phi). However, at depths. greater t han a kilometer, pressure solution becomes important and this relationship approaches a viscous one. We derive a mathematical model for viscous compac tion in sedimentary basins and show how the model suggests different styles of behavior in the limits of slow and fast compaction.