Mechanisms of slip nucleation during earthquakes

Ze'ev Reches*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

Slip nucleation during earthquakes is apparently analogous to rupture nucleation within an intact rock sample subjected to triaxial loading. The observations indicate that both these nucleation processes initiate within a relatively small volume and in both the slip propagates unstably along a quasi-planar surface. In both processes a single, pre-existing, shear fracture cannot nucleate the large-scale slip, and in both a 'process zone' that includes several interacting fractures in a small volume are required to initiate the unstable slip. Both processes require rupture of intact rocks, generate complex fracture geometry, and are associated with intense energy-release rate during slip. Recent observations and analyses are used to correlate rupture nucleation in laboratory tests with nucleation events of large earthquakes. It is proposed that earthquake nucleation occurs by the interaction among multiple fractures within a small volume that develops into unstable yielding of the healed fault zone.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)475-486
Number of pages12
JournalEarth and Planetary Science Letters
Volume170
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 30 Jul 1999

Keywords

  • Earthquakes
  • Friction
  • Propagation
  • Rock mechanics
  • Rupture
  • Slip rates

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mechanisms of slip nucleation during earthquakes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this