Fracture surface energy of the Punchbowl fault, San Andreas system

Fracture energy is a form of latent heat required to create an earthquake rupture surface and is related to parameters governing rupture propagation and processes of slip weakening. Fracture energy has been estimated from seismological and experimental rock deformation data, yet its magnitude, mechanisms of rupture surface formation and processes leading to slip weakening are not well defined. Here we quantify structural observations of the Punchbowl fault, a large-displacement exhumed fault in the San Andreas fault system, and show that the energy required to create the fracture surface area in the fault is about 300 times greater than seismological estimates would predict for a single large earthquake. If fracture energy is attributed entirely to the production of fracture surfaces, then all of the fracture surface area in the Punchbowl fault could have been produced by earthquake displacements totalling <1 km. But this would only account for a small fraction of the total energy budget, and therefore additional processes probably contributed to slip weakening during earthquake rupture.     

Fault lubrication during earthquakes

The determination of rock friction at seismic slip rates (about 1?m?s(-1)) is of paramount importance in earthquake mechanics, as fault friction controls the stress drop, the mechanical work and the frictional heat generated during slip. Given the difficulty in determining friction by seismological methods, elucidating constraints are derived from experimental studies. Here we review a large set of published and unpublished experiments (～300) performed in rotary shear apparatus at slip rates of 0.1-2.6?m?s(-1). The experiments indicate a significant decrease in friction (of up to one order of magnitude), which we term fault lubrication, both for cohesive (silicate-built, quartz-built and carbonate-built) rocks and non-cohesive rocks (clay-rich, anhydrite, gypsum and dolomite gouges) typical of crustal seismogenic sources. The available mechanical work and the associated temperature rise in the slipping zone trigger a number of physicochemical processes (gelification, decarbonation and dehydration reactions, melting and so on) whose products are responsible for fault lubrication. The similarity between (1) experimental and natural fault products and (2) mechanical work measures resulting from these laboratory experiments and seismological estimates suggests that it is reasonable to extrapolate experimental data to conditions typical of earthquake nucleation depths (7-15?km). It seems that faults are lubricated during earthquakes, irrespective of the fault rock composition and of the specific weakening mechanism involved.     

Slip zone and energetics of a large earthquake from the Taiwan Chelungpu-fault Drilling Project

Determining the seismic fracture energy during an earthquake and understanding the associated creation and development of a fault zone requires a combination of both seismological and geological field data. The actual thickness of the zone that slips during the rupture of a large earthquake is not known and is a key seismological parameter in understanding energy dissipation, rupture processes and seismic efficiency. The 1999 magnitude-7.7 earthquake in Chi-Chi, Taiwan, produced large slip (8 to 10 metres) at or near the surface, which is accessible to borehole drilling and provides a rare opportunity to sample a fault that had large slip in a recent earthquake. Here we present the retrieved cores from the Taiwan Chelungpu-fault Drilling Project and identify the main slip zone associated with the Chi-Chi earthquake. The surface fracture energy estimated from grain sizes in the gouge zone of the fault sample was directly compared to the seismic fracture energy determined from near-field seismic data. From the comparison, the contribution of gouge surface energy to the earthquake breakdown work is quantified to be 6 per cent.     

'Melt welt' mechanism of extreme weakening of gabbro at seismic slip rates

Laboratory studies of frictional properties of rocks at slip velocities approaching the seismic range (～0.1-1?m?s(-1)), and at moderate normal stresses (1-10?MPa), have revealed a complex evolution of the dynamic shear strength, with at least two phases of weakening separated by strengthening at the onset of wholesale melting. The second post-melting weakening phase is governed by viscous properties of the melt layer and is reasonably well understood. The initial phase of extreme weakening, however, remains a subject of much debate. Here we show that the initial weakening of gabbro is associated with the formation of hotspots and macroscopic streaks of melt ('melt welts'), which partially unload the rest of the slip interface. Melt welts begin to form when the average rate of frictional heating exceeds 0.1-0.4?MW?m(-2), while the average temperature of the shear zone is well below the solidus (250-450?°C). Similar heterogeneities in stress and temperature are likely to occur on natural fault surfaces during rapid slip, and to be important for earthquake rupture dynamics.     

龙门山断裂带深部构造变形的粘弹性模拟分析

根据龙门山断裂带地区的构造特征,建立该地区二维有限元模型.在考虑到深部构造发生粘弹性蠕动的条件下,利用粘弹性接触的有限元方法模拟计算上、下地壳和上地幔的滑动情况.模拟结果表明,龙门山断裂带及周围是应力集中区域,且随着时间的推移应力集中程度加剧.模拟还表明龙门山断裂带断层深处滑动速率比地表的滑动速率大,平均为3倍左右.因此,在龙门山断裂带地表滑动速率较小的情况下,速率较大的断层深部物质在滑动过程中则会产生能量高度的积聚,当能量积累超过极限强度,断层产生滑动,从而引发了地震.     

固液耦合模式下采动诱发断层两盘滑移规律的模拟分析

以五沟煤矿F16断层的地质条件为背景,采用三维有限差分数值软件FLAC3D的固液耦合模式,对断层倾角、断层破碎带宽度及承压水水压不同时,在断层上盘煤层开采过程中断层界面滑移量的变化规律进行了分析,研究得出:断层界面同一标高处的垂向滑移量随断层倾角、断层破碎带宽度及含水层水压的增加而增大。断层界面的垂向滑移量越大,突水危险性越大。     

Seismology: speed and size of the Sumatra earthquake

Our seismological results reveal that Indonesia's devastating Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on 26 December 2004 was 2.5 times larger than initial reports suggested--second only to the 1960 Chilean earthquake in recorded magnitude. They indicate that it slowly released its energy by slip along a 1,200-km fault, generating a long rupture that contributed to the subsequent tsunami. Now that the entire rupture zone has slipped, the strain accumulated from the subduction of the Indian plate beneath the Burma microplate has been released, and there is no immediate danger of a similar tsunami being generated on this part of the plate boundary, although large earthquakes on segments to the south still present a threat.     

Resonant slow fault slip in subduction zones forced by climatic load stress

Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements at subduction plate boundaries often record fault movements similar to earthquakes but much slower, occurring over timescales of approximately 1 week to approximately 1 year. These 'slow slip events' have been observed in Japan, Cascadia, Mexico, Alaska and New Zealand. The phenomenon is poorly understood, but several observations hint at the processes underlying slow slip. Although slip itself is silent, seismic instruments often record coincident low-amplitude tremor in a narrow (1-5 cycles per second) frequency range. Also, modelling of GPS data and estimates of tremor location indicate that slip focuses near the transition from unstable ('stick-slip') to stable friction at the deep limit of the earthquake-producing seismogenic zone. Perhaps most intriguingly, slow slip is periodic at several locations, with recurrence varying from 6 to 18 months depending on which subduction zone (or even segment) is examined. Here I show that such periodic slow fault slip may be a resonant response to climate-driven stress perturbations. Fault slip resonance helps to explain why slip events are periodic, why periods differ from place to place, and why slip focuses near the base of the seismogenic zone. Resonant slip should initiate within the rupture zone of future great earthquakes, suggesting that slow slip may illuminate fault properties that control earthquake slip.     

广东恩开断裂带新构造活动特征

恩开断裂带是华南沿海地区重要的断裂带之一,长约160km,由3条大致平行展布的北东向断裂组成,其中苍城—海陵断裂(F₁)、均安断裂(F₂)倾向北西,鹤城—金鸡断裂(F₃)倾向南东。这3条断裂在第三纪主要作张性正断层运动。约在上新世末或第四纪初,断裂带受到北西西—南东东方向的强烈挤压,北东向断裂转为压性活动。然而,约在中更新世开始,挤压力逐渐减弱,加之,华南沿海地区水平挤压力有从南往北减弱的趋势,断裂带南段,挤压力仍足以使断裂上盘逆冲上升,形成逆断层地貌;继续往北,水平挤压力与重力大小相近,两者平衡使断层两盘处于动态稳定之中,差异升降弱;再往北,水平挤压力更弱,重力均衡使断裂再次发生正断层运动。约在晚更新世开始,区内的一系列北西向断裂形成或复活,由于与主压应力方向夹角小,断裂面摩擦力小而比北东向断裂更易发生错动,使北东向断裂多处被切。北西向断裂的活动一方面限制了北东向断裂的平移,另一方面释放了部分应变能,最终使北东向断裂的活动性降低。     

Low-frequency earthquakes in Shikoku, Japan, and their relationship to episodic tremor and slip

Non-volcanic seismic tremor was discovered in the Nankai trough subduction zone in southwest Japan and subsequently identified in the Cascadia subduction zone. In both locations, tremor is observed to coincide temporally with large, slow slip events on the plate interface downdip of the seismogenic zone. The relationship between tremor and aseismic slip remains uncertain, however, largely owing to difficulty in constraining the source depth of tremor. In southwest Japan, a high quality borehole seismic network allows identification of coherent S-wave (and sometimes P-wave) arrivals within the tremor, whose sources are classified as low-frequency earthquakes. As low-frequency earthquakes comprise at least a portion of tremor, understanding their mechanism is critical to understanding tremor as a whole. Here, we provide strong evidence that these earthquakes occur on the plate interface, coincident with the inferred zone of slow slip. The locations and characteristics of these events suggest that they are generated by shear slip during otherwise aseismic transients, rather than by fluid flow. High pore-fluid pressure in the immediate vicinity, as implied by our estimates of seismic P- and S-wave speeds, may act to promote this transient mode of failure. Low-frequency earthquakes could potentially contribute to seismic hazard forecasting by providing a new means to monitor slow slip at depth.     

Influence of feature size of micro-scale channel on ink flow characteristics

Under the micro-scale condition,feature size of the channel is one of the main factors influencing the fluid flow characteristics. In printing process,ink thickness in the extrusion zone formed by two ink rollers may reach micron scale. Compared with macroscopic fluid,the velocity field and the pressure field of fluid may change when the feature size of fluid channel reaches micron scale. In order to control printing quality,it is necessary to research the influence of feature size on ink flow characteristics in micro scale. This paper analyzes it in theory,and then numerical simulation of an ink flow model with different feature sizes is carried out in no slip condition. The influence of the feature size on the ink flow characteristics and the wall shear force are obtained. Besides,the ink flow model with different feature sizes is simulated numerically in slip condition,and the influence of feature size on ink flow characteristics is obtained. Finally,by comparing and analyzing the above results,it can be concluded that both the ink velocity and pressure at the inlet of the extrusion zone are inversely proportional to the feature sizes whether in slip condition or not. And the ink velocity in slip condition is larger than that without slip,the pressure at the inlet of the extrusion zone is less than that in no slip condition. Within the micro-scale range,the ink velocity difference between the two conditions cannot be ignored. Therefore,it is necessary to consider slip when analyzing the influence of feature size of micro-scale channel on ink flow characteristics.     

Talc-bearing serpentinite and the creeping section of the San Andreas fault

The section of the San Andreas fault located between Cholame Valley and San Juan Bautista in central California creeps at a rate as high as 28 mm yr(-1) (ref. 1), and it is also the segment that yields the best evidence for being a weak fault embedded in a strong crust. Serpentinized ultramafic rocks have been associated with creeping faults in central and northern California, and serpentinite is commonly invoked as the cause of the creep and the low strength of this section of the San Andreas fault. However, the frictional strengths of serpentine minerals are too high to satisfy the limitations on fault strength, and these minerals also have the potential for unstable slip under some conditions. Here we report the discovery of talc in cuttings of serpentinite collected from the probable active trace of the San Andreas fault that was intersected during drilling of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) main hole in 2005. We infer that the talc is forming as a result of the reaction of serpentine minerals with silica-saturated hydrothermal fluids that migrate up the fault zone, and the talc commonly occurs in sheared serpentinite. This discovery is significant, as the frictional strength of talc at elevated temperatures is sufficiently low to meet the constraints on the shear strength of the fault, and its inherently stable sliding behaviour is consistent with fault creep. Talc may therefore provide the connection between serpentinite and creep in the San Andreas fault, if shear at depth can become localized along a talc-rich principal-slip surface within serpentinite entrained in the fault zone.     

彭灌断裂带的构造特征

讨论了彭灌断裂带的宏观及微观变形特征。宏观构造、显微构造特征反映出该断裂带为一条脆性逆冲推覆断裂，其变形机制主要为碎裂作用。断层主要产于中生代地层之中，并有叠置的推覆岩片夹于其中，主要活动时期是在喜马拉雅期。     

Slip rate variations on normal faults during glacial-interglacial changes in surface loads

Geologic and palaeoseismological data document a marked increase in the slip rates of the Wasatch fault and three adjacent normal faults in the Basin and Range Province during the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene epochs. The cause of this synchronous acceleration of fault slip and the subsequent clustering of earthquakes during the Holocene has remained enigmatic, although it has been suggested that the coincidence between the acceleration of slip and the shrinkage of Lake Bonneville after the Last Glacial Maximum may indicate a causal relationship. Here we use finite-element models of a discrete normal fault within a rheologically layered lithosphere to evaluate the relative importance of two competing processes that affect fault slip: postglacial unloading (the removal of mass), which decreases the slip rate, and lithospheric rebound, which promotes faster slip. We show that lithospheric rebound caused by regression of Lake Bonneville and deglaciation of adjacent mountain ranges provides a feasible mechanism for the high Holocene rates of faulting in the Wasatch region. Our analysis implies that climate-controlled changes in loads applied to Earth's surface may exert a fundamental control on the slip history of individual normal faults.     

Evidence for fault weakness and fluid flow within an active low-angle normal fault.

Determining the composition and physical properties of shallow-dipping, active normal faults (dips < 35 degrees with respect to the horizontal) is important for understanding how such faults slip under low resolved shear stress and accommodate significant extension of the crust and lithosphere. Seismic reflection images and earthquake source parameters show that a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred at about 5 km depth on or close to a normal fault with a dip of 25-30 degrees located ahead of a propagating spreading centre in the Woodlark basin. Here we present results from a genetic algorithm inversion of seismic reflection data, which shows that the fault at 4-5 km depth contains a 33-m-thick layer with seismic velocities of about 4.3 km s(-1), which we interpret to be composed of serpentinite fault gouge. Isolated zones exhibit velocities as low as approximately 1.7 km s(-1) with high porosities, which we suggest are maintained by high fluid pressures. We propose that hydrothermal fluid flow, possibly driven by a deep magmatic heat source, and high extensional stresses ahead of the ridge tip have created conditions for fault weakness and strain localization on the low-angle normal fault.     

Correlation between deep fluids, tremor and creep along the central San Andreas fault

The seismicity pattern along the San Andreas fault near Parkfield and Cholame, California, varies distinctly over a length of only fifty kilometres. Within the brittle crust, the presence of frictionally weak minerals, fault-weakening high fluid pressures and chemical weakening are considered possible causes of an anomalously weak fault northwest of Parkfield. Non-volcanic tremor from lower-crustal and upper-mantle depths is most pronounced about thirty kilometres southeast of Parkfield and is thought to be associated with high pore-fluid pressures at depth. Here we present geophysical evidence of fluids migrating into the creeping section of the San Andreas fault that seem to originate in the region of the uppermost mantle that also stimulates tremor, and evidence that along-strike variations in tremor activity and amplitude are related to strength variations in the lower crust and upper mantle. Interconnected fluids can explain a deep zone of anomalously low electrical resistivity that has been imaged by magnetotelluric data southwest of the Parkfield-Cholame segment. Near Cholame, where fluids seem to be trapped below a high-resistivity cap, tremor concentrates adjacent to the inferred fluids within a mechanically strong zone of high resistivity. By contrast, subvertical zones of low resistivity breach the entire crust near the drill hole of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth, northwest of Parkfield, and imply pathways for deep fluids into the eastern fault block, coincident with a mechanically weak crust and the lower tremor amplitudes in the lower crust. Fluid influx to the fault system is consistent with hypotheses of fault-weakening high fluid pressures in the brittle crust.     

逆断层粘滑错动对公路隧道影响的试验研究

结合大量地震断层的案例,针对逆断层倾角为75°,60°,45°三种工况通过模型试验研究不同倾角逆断层粘滑错动下隧道应变分布规律和整个破坏过程.试验结果表明:断层倾角越小,上盘范围内隧道顶部的纵向拉应变越大,并且拉应变进入过载状态时的错动位移值越小.当断层倾角为75°时,隧道的主要破坏形式为直接剪切破坏;当断层倾角为45°时,隧道的破坏形式以弯曲拉破坏为主;45°倾角工况下隧道的破坏范围为上盘距离断层面2.0 D(D为隧道洞径)至下盘距离断层面0.2 D,75°倾角工况下隧道的破坏范围为上盘距离断层面0.8 D至下盘距离断层面0.4 D.     

Slip on 'weak' faults by the rotation of regional stress in the fracture damage zone

Slip on unfavourably oriented faults with respect to a remotely applied stress is well documented and implies that faults such as the San Andreas fault and low-angle normal faults are weak when compared to laboratory-measured frictional strength. If high pore pressure within fault zones is the cause of such weakness, then stress reorientation within or close to a fault is necessary to allow sufficient fault weakening without the occurrence of hydrofracture. From field observations of a major tectonic fault, and using laboratory experiments and numerical modelling, here we show that stress rotation occurs within the fractured damage zone surrounding faults. In particular, we find that stress rotation is considerable for unfavourably oriented 'weak' faults. In the 'weak' fault case, the damage-induced change in elastic properties provides the necessary stress rotation to allow high pore pressure faulting without inducing hydrofracture.     

Lushan M S7.0 earthquake: A special earthquake occurs on curved fault

Relocation result shows that the aftershocks of the Lushan M _S7.0 earthquake spatially distribute in a shape like “half bowl”, indicating that the rupture structure of the mainshock is a highly curved surface. Kinematic analysis reveals that a laterally varied dislocation pattern occurs on this curved fault even though a single relative horizontal movement controls slip on this fault. Reverse slip prevails on curved fault. However, significant normal slip is predicted near the edge of north flank. Moreover, the north flank features left-lateral slip while the south flank contrarily features right-lateral slip. The relative scope of aftershock distribution implies inadequate breaking of the curved fault during the mainshock, calling for the attention to potential earthquake risk on the neighboring portions of the coseismic rupture due to significant increase of the coseismic Coulomb stress. Coseismic stress modeling also reveals that it is unnecessary for the stress on ruptured part to be unloaded following the earthquakes on the curved fault. The coseismic stress loading on ruptured elements unveils the specialty of faulting for the Lushan earthquake and we conclude that this specialty is due to the highly curved fault geometry.