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SUMMARY:Slow earthquakes and low frequency shaking in active faults of the
  Earth’s crust: from field observations to laboratory experiments
DTSTART:20110308T120000
DTSTAMP:20260405T202938Z
UID:a98794685bf7061bfc34dd4a918f238114cc3e577f166ab12506d517
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:François Renard\nIn the past ten years\, geophysical observat
 ions have demonstrated that many active faults in the Earth’s host slow 
 motions and periods of low frequency vibrations\, known as slow earthquake
 s and tremors\, respectively. Such mechanical behaviour is different from 
 that in most active faults known to produce earthquakes. To unravel some p
 hysical processes at work during slow motion\, we developed analogue labor
 atory friction experiments.\nSolid friction is a force resisting the slip 
 when two bodies slide past each other. Laboratory slider block experiments
  show either stick-slip or stable sliding. Both behaviours are encapsulate
 d in the rate-and-state friction law and are considered to be analogous of
  seismic and aseismic movements on active faults\, respectively. Using a s
 alt slider\, a surrogate for natural faults\, allows for the two processes
 \, friction and creep\, to be efficient on the same time scale when the sl
 ider is pushed at low velocity. We observe that both the amplitude of the 
 stick-slip oscillations and the waiting time decrease over several hundred
 s of cycles\, eventually reaching the stable sliding regime. Concomitant w
 ith this continuous change towards stable sliding are the ageing of the fr
 ictional interface and the development of a striated morphology. We also s
 how a systematic correlation between the onset of slip acceleration and th
 e emission of tremor-like signals. When applied to the Earth’s crust\, o
 ur results suggest that the generation of tremors and slow earthquakes pat
 terns are similar to what is observed in in nature\, and could be related 
 to the dynamics of fault interface morphology.
LOCATION:GC A1 416
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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