Slip tapers at the tips of faults and earthquake ruptures

Scholz, Christopher H.; Lawler, Theresa M.

doi:10.1029/2004gl021030

Cited by 69 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…This made a number of predictions of the scaling relations of faults including the fault length with displacement and the distribution of displacement along the fault length. Many of these relations have support from subsequent field data [ Vermilye and Scholz , 1998; Manighetti et al , 2004; Scholz and Lawler , 2004]. Scholz et al [1993] also made predictions regarding the scaling of the damage zone width with fault length.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Scaling of fault damage zones with displacement and the implications for fault growth processes

et al. 2011

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[1] Knowledge of the spatial extent of damage surrounding fault zones is important for understanding crustal fluid flow and also for understanding the physical processes and mechanics by which fault zones develop with slip. There are few data available on the scaling of the fault damage zone with fault displacement, and of those that exist, deriving scaling relationships is hampered by comparing faults that run through different lithologies, have formed at different crustal depths or tectonic regimes (e.g., normal versus strike-slip movement). We describe new data on the microfracture damage zone width from small displacement fault zones within the Atacama fault zone in northern Chile that formed at ∼6 km depth within a dioritic protolith. The microfracture damage zone is shown by an alteration halo surrounding the faults in which the density of the microfractures is much greater than background levels in the undeformed protolith. The data show that damage zone width increases with fault displacement and there appears to be a zero intercept to this relationship, meaning that at zero displacement, there is no microfracture damage zone. This is supported by field observations at fault tips that show a tapering out of fault damage zones. These data, combined with data from the literature, indicate that this same relationship might hold for much larger displacement faults. There is also a distinct asymmetry to the fracture damage. Several processes for the development of the observed scaling are discussed. The widely accepted theory of a process zone predicts that fault damage zone width increases with fault length and thus should always be largest at a propagating fault tip where displacement is lowest. This prediction is opposite to that seen in the current data set, leading to suggestion that other processes, such as damage zone growth with increasing displacement due to geometric irregularities or coseismic damage formation might better explain the spatial extent of damage surrounding even low-displacement faults.Citation: Faulkner, D. R., T. M. Mitchell, E. Jensen, and J. Cembrano (2011), Scaling of fault damage zones with displacement and the implications for fault growth processes,

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Scaling of fault damage zones with displacement and the implications for fault growth processes

et al. 2011

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“…(e.g., Manighetti et al, 2001aManighetti et al, , 2009Manighetti et al, , 2015Martel and Shacat, 2006;Muraoka and Kamata, 1983;Nicol et al, 2005;Peacock and Sanderson, 1996;Scholz and Lawler, 2004;Soliva and Benedicto, 2004, for normal faults;e.g., Bü rgmann et al, 1994;Farbod et al, 2011;McGrath and Davison, 1995;Pachell and Evans, 2002;Peacock, 1991, for strike-slip faults; e.g., Davis et al, 2005;Ellis and Dunlap, 1988;Shaw et al, 2002, for reverse faults). Furthermore, the displacement-length profiles have been shown to taper in the direction of long-term fault propagation (e.g., Davis et al, 2005;Manighetti et al, 2001a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because the envelope shape of displacementlength distributions is generic, along fault static stress gradients must also be. To reconcile the on-fault stress variability with the fairly linear scaling relation that is observed for all faults between their maximum displacement and their length (references in introduction), it has been suggested that the excess on-fault stresses that result from the gradual displacement decrease along the fault, are diffused off the fault, in the host rocks, where they produce microscopic and macroscopic ''damage'' fractures, faults and possibly other types of deformation (e.g., Cooke, 1997;Granier, 1985;Manighetti et al, 2004;Scholz and Lawler, 2004). Off-fault stress and strain diffusion might dominantly occur during repeated earthquakes on a fault (e.g., Cappa et al, 2014 and references therein;Manighetti et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Off-fault tip splay networks: A genetic and generic property of faults indicative of their long-term propagation

Perrin

Manighetti

Gaudemer

2015

Comptes Rendus. Géoscience

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“…Commonly, these structures are approximated as two‐dimensional slip surfaces. The classical understanding of fault growth relates fault length linearly to accumulated displacement due to episodically recurring earthquakes (e.g., Bürgmann et al, ; Cowie & Scholz, ; ; Manighetti et al, , ; Norris & Toy, ; Perrin, Manighetti, Gaudemer, et al, , Perrin, Manighetti, Ampuero, et al, ; Peacock, ; Peacock & Sanderson, ; Scholz & Lawler, ; Segall & Pollard, ). A gradual extension in fault length increases the fault surface area, which augments its potential to generate bigger earthquakes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismic and Aseismic Fault Growth Lead to Different Fault Orientations

et al. 2019

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Orientations of natural fault systems are subject to large variations. They often contradict classical Coulomb failure theory as they are misoriented relative to the regional Andersonian stress field. This is ascribed to local effects of structural or stress heterogeneities and reorientations of structures or stresses on the long term. To better understand the relation between fault orientation and regional stresses, we simulate spontaneous fault growth and its effect on the stress field. Our approach incorporates earthquake rupture dynamics, viscoelastoplastic brittle deformation and a rate‐ and state‐dependent friction formulation in a continuum mechanics framework. We investigate how strike‐slip faults orient according to local and far‐field stresses during their growth. We identify two modes of fault growth, seismic and aseismic, distinguished by different fault angles and slip velocities. Seismic fault growth causes a significant elevation of dynamic stresses and friction values ahead of the propagating fault tip. These elevated quantities result in a greater strike angle relative to the maximum principal regional stress than that of a fault segment formed aseismically. When compared to the near‐tip time‐dependent stress field the fault orientations produced by both growth modes follow the classical failure theory. We demonstrate how the two types of fault growth may be distinguished in natural faults by comparing their angles relative to the original regional maximum principal stress. A stress field analysis of the Landers‐Kickapoo fault suggests that an angle greater than ∼25° between two faults indicates seismic fault growth.

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Slip tapers at the tips of faults and earthquake ruptures

Cited by 69 publications

References 25 publications

Scaling of fault damage zones with displacement and the implications for fault growth processes

Scaling of fault damage zones with displacement and the implications for fault growth processes

Off-fault tip splay networks: A genetic and generic property of faults indicative of their long-term propagation

Seismic and Aseismic Fault Growth Lead to Different Fault Orientations

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