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Creep fronts and complexity in laboratory earthquake sequences illuminate delayed earthquake triggering

Author

Listed:
  • Sara Beth L. Cebry

    (Cornell University)

  • Chun-Yu Ke

    (Cornell University)

  • Srisharan Shreedharan

    (Pennsylvania State University
    University of Texas Institute for Geophysics
    Utah State University)

  • Chris Marone

    (Pennsylvania State University
    La Sapienza Università di Roma)

  • David S. Kammer

    (Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zurich)

  • Gregory C. McLaskey

    (Cornell University)

Abstract

Earthquakes occur in clusters or sequences that arise from complex triggering mechanisms, but direct measurement of the slow subsurface slip responsible for delayed triggering is rarely possible. We investigate the origins of complexity and its relationship to heterogeneity using an experimental fault with two dominant seismic asperities. The fault is composed of quartz powder, a material common to natural faults, sandwiched between 760 mm long polymer blocks that deform the way 10 meters of rock would behave. We observe periodic repeating earthquakes that transition into aperiodic and complex sequences of fast and slow events. Neighboring earthquakes communicate via migrating slow slip, which resembles creep fronts observed in numerical simulations and on tectonic faults. Utilizing both local stress measurements and numerical simulations, we observe that the speed and strength of creep fronts are highly sensitive to fault stress levels left behind by previous earthquakes, and may serve as on-fault stress meters.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara Beth L. Cebry & Chun-Yu Ke & Srisharan Shreedharan & Chris Marone & David S. Kammer & Gregory C. McLaskey, 2022. "Creep fronts and complexity in laboratory earthquake sequences illuminate delayed earthquake triggering," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-34397-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34397-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John D. Bedford & Daniel R. Faulkner & Nadia Lapusta, 2022. "Fault rock heterogeneity can produce fault weakness and reduce fault stability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Semechah K. Y. Lui & Nadia Lapusta, 2016. "Repeating microearthquake sequences interact predominantly through postseismic slip," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Shmuel M. Rubinstein & Gil Cohen & Jay Fineberg, 2004. "Detachment fronts and the onset of dynamic friction," Nature, Nature, vol. 430(7003), pages 1005-1009, August.
    4. J. R. Leeman & D. M. Saffer & M. M. Scuderi & C. Marone, 2016. "Laboratory observations of slow earthquakes and the spectrum of tectonic fault slip modes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-6, September.
    5. V. Rubino & N. Lapusta & A. J. Rosakis, 2022. "Intermittent lab earthquakes in dynamically weakening fault gouge," Nature, Nature, vol. 606(7916), pages 922-929, June.
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