Subtle compositional contrast between deformation bands and host rocks is consistent with loss of intergranular micropores within bands and supports the dominance of mechanical over chemical processes in their formation. Field-emission SEM imaging of Ar-ion-milled cross-sections shows that collapse of larger (>2 μm) pores, many localized at the margins of silt-size particles, reduces porosity within the bands by about 5 percent compared to the adjacent host rock. Despite the clear role of shear, evidence for particle comminution is equivocal.
These observations on mechanical processes in early diagenesis provide useful context for interpretation of pore types and fabric anisotropies in mudrocks across a wide range of subsurface conditions.