Off-fault deformation feedback and strain localization precursor during laboratory earthquakes.

ABSTRACT: Recent large-scale seismological observations have shown that off-fault strain localization and foreshock migration could serve as an early warning of an impending earthquake. However, this process is still largely unknown. In this study, state-of-the-art friction experiments were conducted in a oil-confined biaxial shear apparatus to investigate the link between stick-slip nucleation and off-fault deformation. Our findings indicate that there is a direct link between stick-slip nucleation and off-fault deformation, provided that the fault is conditionally unstable (a - b < 0). Inelastic off-fault deformation may trigger unstable slip by decreasing the stiffness of the surrounding rock volume, which favors earthquake nucleation. Additionally, the study presents laboratory obs

SUBMITTER: Meyer GG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11469960 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature