Fan‐hinged shear instead of frictional stick–slip as the main and most dangerous mechanism of natural, induced, and volcanic earthquakes in the earth's crust

Abstract

Frictional stick–slip instability along pre‐existing faults has been accepted as the main mechanism of earthquakes for about 60 years, since it is believed that fracture of intact rocks cannot reflect such features inherent in earthquakes as low shear stresses activating instability, low stress drop, repetitive dynamic instability, and connection with pre‐existing faults. This paper demonstrates that all these features can be induced by a recently discovered shear rupture mechanism (fan‐hinged), which creates dynamic ruptures in intact rocks under stress conditions corresponding to seismogenic depths. The key element of this mechanism is the fan‐shaped structure of the head of extreme ruptures, which is formed as a result of an intense tensile cracking process, with the creation of inter‐crack slabs that act as hinges between the shearing rupture faces. The preference of the fan mechanism over the stick–slip mechanism is clear due to the extraordinary properties of the fan structure, which include the ability to generate new faults in intact dry rocks even at shear stresses that are an order of magnitude lower than the frictional strength; to provide shear resistance close to zero and abnormally large energy release; to cause a low stress drop; to use a new physics of energy supply to the rupture tip, providing supersonic rupture velocity; and to provide a previously unknown interrelation between earthquakes and volcanoes. All these properties make the fan mechanism the most dangerous rupture mechanism at the seismogenic depths of the earth's crust, generating the vast majority of earthquakes. The detailed analysis of the fan mechanism is presented in the companion paper “New physics of supersonic ruptures” published in DUSE. Further study of this subject is a major challenge for deep underground science, earthquake and fracture mechanics, volcanoes, physics, and tribology.