Fault surfaces are rough at all scales, and this significantly affects fault-slip behavior. However, roughness is only occasionally considered experimentally and then often in experiments imposing a low-slip velocity, corresponding to the initiation stage of the earthquake cycle. Here, the effect of roughness on earthquake nucleation up to runaway slip is investigated through a series of dry load-stepping biaxial experiments performed on bare rock surfaces with a variety of roughnesses. These laboratory faults reached slip velocities of at least 100 mm/s. Acoustic emissions were located during deformation on bare rock surfaces in a biaxial apparatus during load-stepping experiments for the first time. Smooth surfaces showed more frequent slip instabilities accompanied by slip bursts and larger stress drops than rough faults. Smooth surfaces reached higher slip velocities and were less inclined to display velocity-strengthening behavior. The recorded and localized acoustic emissions were characterized by a greater proportion of large-magnitude events, and therefore likely a higher Gutenberg-Richter bGR-value, for smoother samples, while the cumulative seismic moment was similar for all roughnesses. These experiments shed light on how local microscopic heterogeneity associated with surface topography can influence the macroscopic stability of frictional interfaces and the associated microseismicity. They further provide a laboratory demonstration of roughness' ability to induce stress barriers, which can halt rupture, a phenomenon previously shown numerically.

The influence of roughness on experimental fault mechanical behavior and associated microseismicity / Fryer, Barnaby; Giorgetti, Carolina; Passelègue, François; Momeni, Seyyedmaalek; Lecampion, Brice; Violay, Marie. - In: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. SOLID EARTH. - ISSN 2169-9313. - 127:8(2022). [10.1029/2022JB025113]

The influence of roughness on experimental fault mechanical behavior and associated microseismicity

Carolina Giorgetti;
2022

Abstract

Fault surfaces are rough at all scales, and this significantly affects fault-slip behavior. However, roughness is only occasionally considered experimentally and then often in experiments imposing a low-slip velocity, corresponding to the initiation stage of the earthquake cycle. Here, the effect of roughness on earthquake nucleation up to runaway slip is investigated through a series of dry load-stepping biaxial experiments performed on bare rock surfaces with a variety of roughnesses. These laboratory faults reached slip velocities of at least 100 mm/s. Acoustic emissions were located during deformation on bare rock surfaces in a biaxial apparatus during load-stepping experiments for the first time. Smooth surfaces showed more frequent slip instabilities accompanied by slip bursts and larger stress drops than rough faults. Smooth surfaces reached higher slip velocities and were less inclined to display velocity-strengthening behavior. The recorded and localized acoustic emissions were characterized by a greater proportion of large-magnitude events, and therefore likely a higher Gutenberg-Richter bGR-value, for smoother samples, while the cumulative seismic moment was similar for all roughnesses. These experiments shed light on how local microscopic heterogeneity associated with surface topography can influence the macroscopic stability of frictional interfaces and the associated microseismicity. They further provide a laboratory demonstration of roughness' ability to induce stress barriers, which can halt rupture, a phenomenon previously shown numerically.
2022
fault roughness; stress heterogeneity; acoustic emission
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
The influence of roughness on experimental fault mechanical behavior and associated microseismicity / Fryer, Barnaby; Giorgetti, Carolina; Passelègue, François; Momeni, Seyyedmaalek; Lecampion, Brice; Violay, Marie. - In: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. SOLID EARTH. - ISSN 2169-9313. - 127:8(2022). [10.1029/2022JB025113]
File allegati a questo prodotto
File Dimensione Formato  
Fryer_Influence_2022.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (versione pubblicata con il layout dell'editore)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 3.16 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
3.16 MB Adobe PDF

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1668150
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 13
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 10
social impact