Search for: All records

Abstract Tectonic faults fail in a continuum of modes from slow earthquakes to elastodynamic rupture. Precursory variations in elastic wavespeed and amplitude, interpreted as indicators of imminent failure, have been observed in limited natural settings and lab experiments where they are thought to arise from contact rejuvenation and microcracking within and around the fault zone. However, the physical mechanisms and connections to fault creep are poorly understood. Here we vary loading stiffness during frictional shear to generate a range of slip modes and measure fault zone properties using transmitted elastic waves. We find that elastic wave amplitudes show clear changes before fault failure. The temporal onset of amplitude reduction scales with lab earthquake magnitude and the magnitude of this reduction varies with fault slip. Our data provide clear evidence of precursors to lab earthquakes and suggest that continuous seismic monitoring could be useful for assessing fault state and seismic hazard potential. 

Abstract Machine learning can predict the timing and magnitude of laboratory earthquakes using statistics of acoustic emissions. The evolution of acoustic energy is critical for lab earthquake prediction; however, the connections between acoustic energy and fault zone processes leading to failure are poorly understood. Here, we document in detail the temporal evolution of acoustic energy during the laboratory seismic cycle. We report on friction experiments for a range of shearing velocities, normal stresses, and granular particle sizes. Acoustic emission data are recorded continuously throughout shear using broadband piezo‐ceramic sensors. The coseismic acoustic energy release scales directly with stress drop and is consistent with concepts of frictional contact mechanics and time‐dependent fault healing. Experiments conducted with larger grains (10.5 μm) show that the temporal evolution of acoustic energy scales directly with fault slip rate. In particular, the acoustic energy is low when the fault is locked and increases to a maximum during coseismic failure. Data from traditional slide‐hold‐slide friction tests confirm that acoustic energy release is closely linked to fault slip rate. Furthermore, variations in the true contact area of fault zone particles play a key role in the generation of acoustic energy. Our data show that acoustic radiation is related primarily to breaking/sliding of frictional contact junctions, which suggests that machine learning‐based laboratory earthquake prediction derives from frictional weakening processes that begin very early in the seismic cycle and well before macroscopic failure. 

Abstract Phyllosilicates weaken faults due to the formation of shear fabrics. Although the impacts of clay abundance and fabric on frictional strength, sliding stability, and porosity of faults are well studied, their influence on elastic properties is less known, though they are key factors for fault stiffness. We document the role that fabric and consolidation play in elastic properties and show that smectite content is the most important factor determining whether fabric or porosity controls the elastic response of faults. We conducted a suite of shear experiments on synthetic smectite‐quartz fault gouges (10–100 wt% smectite) and sediment incoming to the Sumatra subduction zone. We monitoredVp,Vs, friction, porosity, shear and bulk moduli. We find that mechanical and elastic properties for gouges with abundant smectite are almost entirely controlled by fabric formation (decreasing mechanical and elastic properties with shear). Though fabrics control the elastic response of smectite‐poor gouges over intermediate shear strains, porosity is the primary control throughout the majority of shearing. Elastic properties vary systematically with smectite content: High smectite gouges have values ofVp ~ 1,300–1,800 m/s,Vs ~ 900–1,100 m/s,K ~ 1–4 GPa, andG ~ 1–2 GPa, and low smectite gouges have values ofVp ~ 2,300–2,500 m/s,Vs ~ 1,200–1,300 m/s,K ~ 5–8 GPa, andG ~ 2.5–3 GPa. We find that, even in smectite‐poor gouges, shear fabric also affects stiffness and elastic moduli, implying that while smectite abundance plays a clear role in controlling gouge properties, other fine‐grained and platy clay minerals may produce similar behavior through their control on the development of fabrics and thin shear surfaces.