High-velocity frictional properties of Alpine Fault rocks: Mechanical data, microstructural analysis, and implications for rupture propagation

Boulton, Carolyn; Yao, Lu; Faulkner, Daniel R.; Townend, John; Toy, Virginia; Sutherland, Rupert; Ma, Shuping; Shimamoto, Toshihiko

doi:10.1016/j.jsg.2017.02.003

Cited by 59 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 100 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous workers have described that the wet gouges may weaken immediately with a negligible slip weakening distance (D c ) at high velocities (e.g., Faulkner et al, 2011). However, recent work showed that the slip weakening process of wet gouges might become much slower if the compactioninduced pressurization were suppressed by presliding (Boulton et al, 2017;Chen, Niemeijer, Yao, et al, 2017;Oohashi et al, 2015). The observed D c in these studies is about one or a few meters at experimental conditions comparable to ours (e.g., Figure 3a in Oohashi et al, 2015, and Figure 1e in Chen, Niemeijer, Yao, et al, 2017).…”

Section: Journal Of Geophysical Research: Solid Earthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flash Heating and Local Fluid Pressurization Lead to Rapid Weakening in Water‐Saturated Fault Gouges

Yao

Chen

et al. 2018

JGR Solid Earth

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coseismic fault displacement is quite large at shallow depths in some earthquakes, and it implies that fault gouges and sediments have extremely low dynamic friction during seismic slip. However, the dynamic weakening mechanisms of gouges under wet conditions are still not well constrained. Here we present direct evidence for the occurrence of flash heating and local fluid pressurization in water‐saturated gouges, by performing low‐ to high‐velocity (V = 10 μm/s to 1 m/s) friction experiments in a pressure vessel, under conditions specially designed to suppress weakening effects of bulk thermal and compaction‐induced pressurization. The tested gouges exhibit transition from velocity strengthening to drastic velocity weakening as slip rates increase. Strong dynamic weakening starts to occur at V ≥ 0.04 m/s at the initiation of sliding (<~0.1 m), which is much more efficient than previously reported in terms of the weakening velocity and distance. Furthermore, the onset of weakening is always accompanied by an instantaneous dilatancy (10–25 μm), which is much larger than that observed in dry tests and in contrast with gradual changes displayed in the wet tests without dynamic weakening. Numerical modeling integrated with microstructural observation reveals that bulk thermal pressurization cannot explain the experimental results, while flash weakening triggered by vaporization of water layers on/around asperity contacts and the resultant local fluid pressurization may be responsible for the observed rapid weakening concomitant with instantaneous dilatancy. Given high efficiency of such weakening process, fluid‐infiltrated faults could be weakened more rapidly than previously recognized during seismic slip.

show abstract

Section: Journal Of Geophysical Research: Solid Earthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flash Heating and Local Fluid Pressurization Lead to Rapid Weakening in Water‐Saturated Fault Gouges

Yao

Chen

et al. 2018

JGR Solid Earth

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The character of microfoliated zones that develop during experiments on carbonate Boulton et al, 2017;Rempe et al, 2014;Smith et al, 2017), exhumed clay-bearing (Kitajima et al, 2010;Mizoguchi et al, 2007) and granitic (Stunitz et al, 2010) gouges are not as sensitive to pore fluid content as the CDZ gouge and other clay-rich gouges, and the fabric of most of these zones resemble that described for our Unit 4-D. Similar to our Unit 4-D, the localized slip zones in these other lithologies are distinguished by a fine grain size and laminae that have been interpreted to show internal variations in porosity (Rempe et al, 2017;Stunitz et al, 2010).…”

Section: Lithologic Controls Of Slip Localizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Localized Slip and Associated Fluidized Structures Record Seismic Slip in Clay‐Rich Fault Gouge

French

Chester

2018

JGR Solid Earth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fault rocks can weaken dramatically with increasing slip rate, which results in localization of slip and earthquakes. Exhumed fault zones and fault rocks deformed at seismic rates in the laboratory both show that deformation can become extremely localized to zones less than or equal to millimeters thick. However, localization can occur during aseismic slip, so evidence of localization cannot necessarily be interpreted as having occurred coseismically. Dynamic weakening that occurs during earthquakes is the result of processes that are unique to seismic slip rates, and previous results from carbonates show that these processes produce unique microstructures. We evaluate whether coseismic deformation at low normal stress produces unique structures within the localized slip zones and adjacent gouge that develop in clay‐rich gouge from the Central Deforming Zone of the San Andreas fault. We measured the thickness and orientations of localized slip zones and their internal lamina, particle orientations, and particle size distributions of gouge sheared from 0.35 to 1.3 m/s velocity, up to 25‐m displacement, and 1‐MPa normal stress, under water‐wet and room‐dry conditions. We find that the thicknesses of localized slip zones and their internal laminae are consistent with numerical formulations for thermal pressurization in wet gouge and both thermal decomposition and cataclastic deformation in dry gouge. Localized zones form coincident with a zone of fluidized gouge that accommodates at most 10% of the shear strain. We conclude that the combined occurrence of foliated localized shear zones with a zone of fluidized gouge may provide a record of seismicity in clay‐rich gouges.

show abstract

“…In addition to its essential hydrogeological significance, permeability has in recent years been recognized as a control on hydrocarbon migration (Gluyas & Swarbrick, ), the longevity of geological carbon sequestration (Ingebritsen & Gleeson, ), and the advection of heat and solutes in response to earthquakes (Cox et al, ). There is growing evidence that fluids are mechanically involved in all stages of the earthquake cycle (Sibson, ) and that permeability fluctuations play a key role in the rupture‐reactivation‐cementation cycle (e.g., Boulton et al, ; Dempsey et al, ; Sutherland et al, ). Permeability is considered to be dynamically self‐regulating (Townend & Zoback, ; Weis et al, ), via competing processes that increase and decrease connectivity and volume of voids and fractures (Rojstaczer et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tidal Behavior and Water‐Level Changes in Gravel Aquifers in Response to Multiple Earthquakes: A Case Study From New Zealand

Weaver

Doan

Cox

et al. 2019

Water Resources Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Earthquakes have been inferred to induce hydrological changes in aquifers on the basis of either changes to well water-levels or tidal behavior, but the relationship between these changes remains unclear. Here, changes in tidal behavior and water-levels are quantified using a hydrological network monitoring gravel aquifers in Canterbury, New Zealand, in response to nine earthquakes (of magnitudes M w 5.4 to 7.8) that occurred between 2008 and 2015. Of the 161 wells analyzed, only 35 contain water-level fluctuations associated with "Earth + Ocean" (7) or "Ocean" (28) tides. Permeability reduction manifest as changes in tidal behavior and increased water-levels in the near field of the Canterbury earthquake sequence of 2010-2011 support the hypothesis of shear-induced consolidation. However, tidal behavior and water-level changes rarely occurred simultaneously (~2%). Water-level changes that occurred with no change in tidal behavior reequilibrated at a new postseismic level more quickly (on timescales of~50 min) than when a change in tidal behavior occurred (~240 min to 10 days). Water-level changes were more than likely to occur above a peak dynamic stress of~50 kPa and were more than likely to not occur below 10 kPa. The minimum peak dynamic stress required for a tidal behavior change to occur was~0.2 to 100 kPa.

show abstract

High-velocity frictional properties of Alpine Fault rocks: Mechanical data, microstructural analysis, and implications for rupture propagation

Cited by 59 publications

References 100 publications

Flash Heating and Local Fluid Pressurization Lead to Rapid Weakening in Water‐Saturated Fault Gouges

Flash Heating and Local Fluid Pressurization Lead to Rapid Weakening in Water‐Saturated Fault Gouges

Localized Slip and Associated Fluidized Structures Record Seismic Slip in Clay‐Rich Fault Gouge

Tidal Behavior and Water‐Level Changes in Gravel Aquifers in Response to Multiple Earthquakes: A Case Study From New Zealand

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About