Articles | Volume 11, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-2075-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-2075-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Review article
| 
13 Nov 2020
Review article |
| 13 Nov 2020
| 13 Nov 2020
The physics of fault friction: insights from experiments on simulated gouges at low shearing velocities
Berend A. Verberne
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan
Martijn P. A. van den Ende
Université Côte d'Azur, IRD, CNRS, Observatoire de la Côte
d'Azur, Géoazur, France
Jianye Chen
Geoscience and Engineering Department, Delft University of Technology,
Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, the Netherlands
Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 4,
3584 CB Utrecht, the Netherlands
André R. Niemeijer
Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 4,
3584 CB Utrecht, the Netherlands
Christopher J. Spiers
Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 4,
3584 CB Utrecht, the Netherlands
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We investigate how the spatial arrangement of normal faults in the Italian Apennines affects earthquake timing and size. Computer-based models show that wide networks with faults offset across-strike produce more irregular and variable earthquakes, while narrow networks with fewer across-strike faults lead to more regular events. Faster-moving faults are more sensitive to nearby positive stress interactions, highlighting the need to consider fault geometry in seismic hazard assessments.
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During coseismic slip, rapid fault sliding generates heat, triggering processes that weaken fault materials. Flash heating at stressed contacts is a key dynamic weakening mechanism, but data on flash temperatures in sheared gouge are limited. We built an experimental setup with a high-speed infrared camera to capture in-situ thermal images during rapid shearing to determine how peak flash temperature varies with conditions and compare with theoretical predictions.
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Short summary
The strength of fault rock plays a central role in determining the distribution of crustal seismicity. We review laboratory work on the physics of fault friction at low shearing velocities carried out at Utrecht University in the past 2 decades. Key mechanical data and post-mortem microstructures can be explained using a generalized, physically based model for the shear of gouge-filled faults. When implemented into numerical fault-slip codes, this offers new ways to simulate the seismic cycle.
The strength of fault rock plays a central role in determining the distribution of crustal...
