Fault gouge graphitization as evidence of past seismic slip

Kuo, Li Wei; Felice, Fabio Di; Spagnuolo, Elena; Toro, Giulio Di; Song, Sheng Rong; Aretusini, Stefano; Li, Haibing; Suppe, John; Si, J.; Wen, Cheng

doi:10.1130/g39295.1

Cited by 42 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…However, the local temperature within the slip zone could have been elevated significantly by coseismic frictional heating, even at shallow crustal levels. This follows from the often observed thermally activated chemical reactions in slip zones, including dehydration reactions (e.g., Brantut et al, ; Hirose & Bystricky, ), decarbonation reactions (e.g., Han et al, ; Sulem & Famin, ), trace element partitioning features (e.g., Ishikawa et al, ; Tanikawa et al, ), graphitization of carbonaceous materials (e.g., Kuo et al, ; Oohashi et al, ), and thermal maturation of organic molecules (e.g., Rabinowitz et al, ; Savage et al, ). Local melting, as evidenced by the presence of glass (pseudotachylyte), has also been reported in both natural and experimentally simulated slip zones (Kuo et al, , and references therein).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Thermal Alteration of Pyrite to Pyrrhotite During Earthquakes: New Evidence of Seismic Slip in the Rock Record

2018

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Seismic slip zones convey important information on earthquake energy dissipation and rupture processes. However, geological records of earthquakes along exhumed faults remain scarce. They can be traced with a variety of methods that establish the frictional heating of seismic slip, although each has certain assets and disadvantages. Here we describe a mineral magnetic method to identify seismic slip along with its peak temperature through examination of magnetic mineral assemblages within a fault zone in deep‐sea sediments cored from the Japan Trench—one of the seismically most active regions around Japan—during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 343, the Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project. Fault zone sediments and adjacent host sediments were analyzed mineral magnetically, supplemented by scanning electron microscope observations with associated energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analyses. The presence of the magnetic mineral pyrrhotite appears to be restricted to three fault zones occurring at ~697, ~720, and ~801 m below sea floor in the frontal prism sediments, while it is absent in the adjacent host sediments. Elevated temperatures and coseismic hot fluids as a consequence of frictional heating during earthquake rupture induced partial reaction of preexisting pyrite to pyrrhotite. The presence of pyrrhotite in combination with pyrite‐to‐pyrrhotite reaction kinetics constrains the peak temperature to between 640 and 800°C. The integrated mineral‐magnetic, microscopic, and kinetic approach adopted here is a useful tool to identify seismic slip along faults without frictional melt and establish the associated maximum temperature.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Thermal Alteration of Pyrite to Pyrrhotite During Earthquakes: New Evidence of Seismic Slip in the Rock Record

2018

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“…Friction experiments conducted on carbonaceous materials (CMs, coal and vitrinite) by using slip velocities on the order of meters per second to simulate the rapid heating that occurs during earthquake slip have demonstrated that vitrinite reflectance increased even by heating of less than 10 s duration (Furuichi et al, ; Kitamura et al, ; O'Hara et al, ). Raman spectra of CM have also been used as a proxy for graphitization and aromatization of CM at high temperatures (Hirono et al, ; Ito et al, ; Kaneki et al, ; Kuo et al, , ; Oohashi et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanochemical Effect on Maturation of Carbonaceous Material: Implications for Thermal Maturity as a Proxy for Temperature in Estimation of Coseismic Slip Parameters

Kaneki

Ichiba

Hirono

2018

Geophysical Research Letters

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Because shear stress in a fault is directly related to the frictional heat generated during slip, the thermal maturity of carbonaceous material has been used as a proxy for fault‐rock temperature. We used infrared and Raman spectroscopic analyses and friction and heating experiments to investigate enhancement of the maturation of lignite by shear damage (the mechanochemical effect) and explored the resultant implications for the use of the thermal maturity of lignite as a proxy for temperature. We showed that higher shear stress applied to lignite samples resulted in greater progression of the thermal destruction of aliphatic C─H chains and the survival of the stronger C─C bonds. Thus, we demonstrated that shear damage during earthquake slip causes mechanochemical enhancement of organochemical reactions related to the aromatization of lignite. Our results suggest that shear stress estimated from Raman spectroscopic analyses in previous studies might have been overestimated.

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“…Therefore, we conclude that the fault rocks in the WFSD cores and at the outcrop are characterized by structures and materials that were produced by paleoseismic slip. Besides, multiple layers of graphite reported in the fault gouge along the YBF (Kuo et al, , ; H. B. Li, Xu, et al, ; Si et al, ; Togo et al, ) indicate that a series of ancient seismic events that caused fault gouge graphitization occurred in the study area. Fault gouges with high magnetic susceptibility have also been reported as seismic slip evidence in the YBF (Pei et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…A large number of field observations and experimental studies have shown that high strain rates generate typical structures in rocks. Earthquakes, with rapid rupture and slip deformation behavior, can produce distinctive structures and minerals, such as clast cortex aggregates (Boullier et al, ; Boutareaud et al, , ; Han & Hirose, ; Ujiie et al, ), fault mirrors (Evans et al, ; Faber et al, ; Kuo et al, ; McDermott et al, ), graphite (Kuo et al, , ; Oohashi et al, ), and pseudotachylytes (e.g., Di Toro et al, , ; Nielsen et al, ; Wang et al, ) in the seismogenic zone and its adjacent rocks during the rupture process (Rowe & Griffith, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent research has shown that other evidence of earthquake faulting can be preserved in fault rocks, such as fault gouge graphitization (Kuo et al, , ), pulverized rocks (Mitchell et al, ; Rempe et al, ; Wechsler et al, ), fault gouge with high magnetic susceptibility (Pei et al, ), injection veins formed under extreme transient stress (Lin et al, ; Rowe & Griffith, ), and fault gouge with angular fragments of varied sizes (Li et al, ). Large earthquakes caused by thrust faulting usually generate surface rupture zones accompanied by vertical displacements; therefore, fault rock deformation not only provides information about fault seismic activity and earthquake mechanisms but also yields insights into mountain uplift caused by seismic faulting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Paleoseismic Slip Records and Uplift of the Longmen Shan, Eastern Tibetan Plateau

Wang

Zhang

et al. 2019

Tectonics

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We document the geological fault zone geometry and internal architecture of the Yingxiu-Beichuan fault (YBF) in the Longmen Shan, eastern Tibetan Plateau, which hosted the catastrophic 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The YBF has been repeatedly reactivated during its long-term activity and contains widespread brittle fault rocks. Pseudotachylytes are recognized in the Pengguan Complex both from the Wenchuan earthquake Fault Scientific Drilling (WFSD) cores and at a surface outcrop. Microstructural evidence of embayed and rounded fragments, flow structures, vesicles, and microlites of various morphologies indicate that the pseudotachylytes were generated by frictional melting during earthquakes. Cataclasite and fault gouge with fragments of angular shapes and varied sizes observed within the fault zones are also considered as evidence of paleoearthquakes. These imply that the main fault zones in the WFSD cores record ancient seismic slip events. Geological field mapping at the surface and in WFSD cores shows that the YBF is a listric reverse fault, with a 155-290-m thick fault zone that dips 73°-68°at depths <700 m and 30°at depths >700 m. Three faulted sets of alternating Neoproterozoic Pengguan Complex overthrusting upon the Late Triassic Xujiahe Formation in the WFSD-2 core imply that the main tectonic framework of Longmen Shan consists of a series of imbricated thrust sheets that have accommodated strong crustal shortening. These suggest that the accumulated crustal shortening caused by imbricated thrusting and long-term seismic activity along the YBF and deep concealed faults is an important process responsible for the rapid uplift of the Longmen Shan.

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Fault gouge graphitization as evidence of past seismic slip

Cited by 42 publications

References 29 publications

Thermal Alteration of Pyrite to Pyrrhotite During Earthquakes: New Evidence of Seismic Slip in the Rock Record

Thermal Alteration of Pyrite to Pyrrhotite During Earthquakes: New Evidence of Seismic Slip in the Rock Record

Mechanochemical Effect on Maturation of Carbonaceous Material: Implications for Thermal Maturity as a Proxy for Temperature in Estimation of Coseismic Slip Parameters

Paleoseismic Slip Records and Uplift of the Longmen Shan, Eastern Tibetan Plateau

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