The role of heterogeneities in faulting

Details The role of heterogeneities in faulting The role of heterogeneities in faulting

Feb 1980

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1980pepi...21..225n&link_type=abstract

Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Volume 21, Issue 2-3, p. 225-236.

Physics

2

Scientific paper

Very general considerations suggest that spatial heterogeneities in either stress or fracture energy are required to explain observed seismic faulting characteristics, such as the frequency-magnitude relations, non-uniform fault slip, multiple events, and random ground accelerations.
In order to obtain a full dynamic solution to greatly heterogeneous faulting, we used a one-dimensional continuum model in which the total stress and the fracture energy varied along the fault, and employed the method of characteristics. The results clearly demonstrate that the process of rupture in a heterogeneous system is closely linked to the stopping phase of the motion.
We found that heterogeneous rupture can be due either to initially non-uniform stress or to spatially non-uniform frictional strength. However, non-uniform stress drop - the difference between tectonic stress and frictional strength - tends to become smoother with increasing slip, a condition which is clearly not observed in nature.
Spatially variable fracture energy, however, can both produce and maintain a heterogeneous effective stress. We conclude that spatially variable fracture energy may be responsible for the heterogeneous nature of earthquake faulting. Non-uniform stress by itself cannot indefinitely maintain the heterogeneous nature of faults.

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