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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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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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.
Larissa Friedenberg, Jeroen Bartol, James Bean, Steffen Beese, Hendrik Bollmann, Hans J. P. de Bresser, Jibril Coulibaly, Oliver Czaikowski, Uwe Düsterloh, Ralf Eickemeier, Ann-Kathrin Gartzke, Suzanne Hangx, Ben Laurich, Christian Lerch, Svetlana Lerche, Wenting Liu, Christoph Lüdeling, Melissa M. Mills, Nina Müller-Hoeppe, Bart van Oosterhout, Till Popp, Ole Rabbel, Michael Rahmig, Benjamin Reedlunn, Christopher Rölke, Christopher Spiers, Kristoff Svensson, Jan Thiedau, and Kornelia Zemke
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For the deep geological disposal of high-level nuclear waste in rock salt formations, the safety concept includes the backfilling of open cavities with crushed salt. For the prognosis of the sealing function of the backfill for the safe containment of the nuclear waste, it is crucial to have a comprehensive process understanding of the crushed-salt compaction behavior. The KOMPASS projects were initiated to improve the scientific knowledge of using crushed salt as backfill material.
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Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is an emerging technology that measures stretching of an optical-fibre cable. This technology can be used to record the ground shaking of earthquakes, which offers a cost-efficient alternative to conventional seismometers. Since DAS is relatively new, we need to verify that existing seismological methods can be applied to this new data type. In this study, we reveal several issues by comparing DAS with conventional seismometer data for earthquake localisation.
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The injection of fluids (like wastewater or CO2) into the subsurface could cause earthquakes when existing geological faults inside the reservoir are (re-)activated. To assess the hazard associated with this, previous studies have conducted experiments in which fluids have been injected into centimetre- and decimetre-scale faults. In this work, we analyse and model these experiments. To this end, we propose a new approach through which we extract the model parameters that govern slip on faults.
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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...
