Frictional strengthening explored during non-steady state shearing. Implications for fault stability and slip event recurrence time

On natural faults that host repeating slip events, the inter-event loading time is quite large compared to the slip event duration. Since most friction studies focus on steady-state frictional behavior, the fault loading phase is not typically examined. Here, we employ a method specifically designed to evaluate fault strength evolution during active loading, under shear driving rates as low as 10−10 m/s, on natural fault gouge samples from the Waikukupa Thrust in southern New Zealand. These tests reveal that in the early stages of loading following a slip event, there is a period of increased stability, which fades with accumulated slip. In the framework of rate- and state-dependent friction laws, this temporary stable phase exists as long as slip is less than the critical slip distance and the elapsed time is less than the value of the state variable at steady state. These observations indicate a minimum earthquake recurrence time, which depends on the field value of the critical slip distance and the background slip rate. We compare estimates of minimum earthquake recurrence times with the recurrence times of repeating large earthquakes on the Alpine Fault in southern New Zealand and repeating small-magnitude earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault system in California. We find that the observed recurrence times are mostly longer than the predicted minimum values, and exceptions in the San Andreas system may be explained by elevated slip rates due to larger earthquakes in this region.