Seismic potential of weak, near-surface faults revealed at plate tectonic slip rates.

ABSTRACT: The near-surface areas of major faults commonly contain weak, phyllosilicate minerals, which, based on laboratory friction measurements, are assumed to creep stably. However, it is now known that shallow faults can experience tens of meters of earthquake slip and also host slow and transient slip events. Laboratory experiments are generally performed at least two orders of magnitude faster than plate tectonic speeds, which are the natural driving conditions for major faults; the absence of experimental data for natural driving rates represents a critical knowledge gap. We use laboratory friction experiments on natural fault zone samples at driving rates of centimeters per year to demonstrate that there is abundant evidence of unstable slip behavior that was not previously predicted. Specif

SUBMITTER: Ikari MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5706663 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature