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Gabriel AA, Garagash DI, Palgunadi KH, Mai PM. Fault size-dependent fracture energy explains multiscale seismicity and cascading earthquakes. Science 2024; 385:eadj9587. [PMID: 39052808 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj9587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Earthquakes vary in size over many orders of magnitude, often rupturing in complex multifault and multievent sequences. Despite the large number of observed earthquakes, the scaling of the earthquake energy budget remains enigmatic. We propose that fundamentally different fracture processes govern small and large earthquakes. We combined seismological observations with physics-based earthquake models, finding that both dynamic weakening and restrengthening effects are non-negligible in the energy budget of small earthquakes. We established a linear scaling relationship between fracture energy and fault size and a break in scaling with slip. We applied this scaling using supercomputing and unveiled large dynamic rupture earthquake cascades involving >700 multiscale fractures within a fault damage zone. We provide a simple explanation for seismicity across all scales with implications for comprehending earthquake genesis and multifault rupture cascades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice-Agnes Gabriel
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Dmitry I Garagash
- Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Kadek H Palgunadi
- Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Geophysical Engineering Department, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - P Martin Mai
- Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
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Collettini C, Barchi MR, De Paola N, Trippetta F, Tinti E. Rock and fault rheology explain differences between on fault and distributed seismicity. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5627. [PMID: 36163188 PMCID: PMC9512795 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33373-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Analysis of seismicity can illuminate active fault zone structures but also deformation within large volumes of the seismogenic zone. For the Mw 6.5 2016-2017 Central Italy seismic sequence, seismicity not only localizes along the major structures hosting the mainshocks (on-fault seismicity), but also occurs within volumes of Triassic Evaporites, TE, composed of alternated anhydrites and dolostones. These volumes of distributed microseismicity show a different frequency-magnitude distribution than on-fault seismicity. We interpret that, during the sequence, shear strain-rate increase, and fluid overpressure promoted widespread ductile deformation within TE that light-up with distributed microseismicity. This interpretation is supported by field and laboratory observations showing that TE background ductile deformation is complex and dominated by distributed failure and folding of the anhydrites associated with boudinage hydro-fracturing and faulting of dolostones. Our results indicate that ductile crustal deformation can cause distributed microseismicity, which obeys to different scaling laws than on-fault seismicity occurring on structures characterized by elasto-frictional stick-slip behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Collettini
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Rome, Italy.
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Firenze, Italy.
| | - M R Barchi
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - N De Paola
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - F Trippetta
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
- Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali, Firenze, Italy
| | - E Tinti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Rome, Italy
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Torresan F, Piccinini L, Cacace M, Pola M, Zampieri D, Fabbri P. Numerical modeling as a tool for evaluating the renewability of geothermal resources: the case study of the Euganean Geothermal System (NE Italy). ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2022; 44:2135-2162. [PMID: 34269957 PMCID: PMC9177487 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-021-01028-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Renewable natural resources are strategic for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the human footprint. The renewability of these resources is a crucial aspect that should be evaluated in utilization of scenario planning. The renewability of geothermal resources is strictly related to the physical and geological processes that favor water circulation and heating. In the Veneto region (NE Italy), thermal waters of the Euganean Geothermal System are the most profitable regional geothermal resource, and its renewability assessment entails the evaluation of fluid and heat recharge, regional and local geological settings, and physical processes controlling system development. This renewability assessment is aimed at defining both the importance of such components and the resource amount that can be exploited without compromising its future preservation. In the second part of the twentieth century, the Euganean thermal resource was threatened by severe overexploitation that caused a sharp decrease in the potentiometric level of the thermal aquifers. Consequently, regulation for their exploitation is required. In this work, the renewability of the Euganean Geothermal System was assessed using the results from numerical simulations of fluid flow and heat transport. The simulations were based on a detailed hydrogeological reconstruction that reproduced major regional geological heterogeneities through a 3D unstructured mesh, while a heterogeneous permeability field was used to reproduce the local fracturing of the thermal aquifers. The model results highlight the role played by the resolved structural elements, in particular the subsurface high-angle faults of the exploitation field, and by the anomalous regional crustal heat flow affecting the central Veneto region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Torresan
- Department of Geosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Leonardo Piccinini
- Department of Geosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy.
- Geothermal System Hydrostructures (GSH), Interdepartmental Centre "Giorgio Levi Cases" for Energy Economics and Technology, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy.
| | - Mauro Cacace
- Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Marco Pola
- Croatian Geological Survey, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dario Zampieri
- Department of Geosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
- Geothermal System Hydrostructures (GSH), Interdepartmental Centre "Giorgio Levi Cases" for Energy Economics and Technology, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Paolo Fabbri
- Department of Geosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
- Geothermal System Hydrostructures (GSH), Interdepartmental Centre "Giorgio Levi Cases" for Energy Economics and Technology, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
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Analysis of Seismic Damage Zones: A Case Study of the Ordovician Formation in the Shunbei 5 Fault Zone, Tarim Basin, China. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse9060630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fault damage zone has an important influence on subsurface fluid flow and petrophysical properties. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the characteristics of fault damage zone for oil and gas development of ultra-deep carbonate formation. This study uses seismic data and the derived variance attribute to identify two types of damage zones and analyze the spatial geometric characteristics of the damage zones. The results show that the type 1 damage zone is wider than the type 2 damage zone. The width of damage zones distributed on both sides of the Shunbei 5 fault core shows obvious asymmetry, and the damage zone width and throw conforms to the typical power-law distribution on the log-log plot. We discuss the factors affecting the width of the damage zone and its formation process. Finally, we discuss the influence of the damage zones on oil and gas exploration. It seems that the seismic variance attribute is a useful technique for characterizing the ultra-deep strike-slip fault damage zones.
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Yu Z, Singh SC, Gregory EPM, Maia M, Wang Z, Brunelli D. Semibrittle seismic deformation in high-temperature mantle mylonite shear zone along the Romanche transform fault. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/15/eabf3388. [PMID: 33837085 PMCID: PMC8034845 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf3388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Oceanic transform faults, a key element of plate tectonics, represent the first-order discontinuities along mid-ocean ridges, host large earthquakes, and induce extreme thermal gradients in lithosphere. However, the thermal structure along transform faults and its effects on earthquake generation are poorly understood. Here we report the presence of a 10- to 15-kilometer-thick in-depth band of microseismicity in 10 to 34 kilometer depth range associated with a high-temperature (700° to 900°C) mantle below the brittle lithosphere along the Romanche mega transform fault in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. The occurrence of the shallow 2016 moment magnitude 7.1 supershear rupture earthquake and these deep microearthquakes indicate that although large earthquakes occur in the upper brittle lithosphere, a substantial amount of deformation is accommodated in the semibrittle mylonitic mantle that resides at depths below the 600°C isotherm. We also observe a rapid westward deepening of this band of seismicity indicating a strong lateral heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiteng Yu
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France.
| | - Satish C Singh
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Emma P M Gregory
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Marcia Maia
- CNRS-Université de Bretagne Occidentale, IUEM, France
- Laboratoire Géosciences Océan, CNRS-UBO UMR 6538, Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer Rue Dumont d'Urville, 29280 Plouzané France
| | - Zhikai Wang
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Daniele Brunelli
- Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Institute for Marine Sciences ISMAR-CNR, Italy
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Xu X, Sandwell DT, Ward LA, Milliner CWD, Smith-Konter BR, Fang P, Bock Y. Surface deformation associated with fractures near the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Science 2020; 370:605-608. [PMID: 33122385 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd1690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Contemporary earthquake hazard models hinge on an understanding of how strain is distributed in the crust and the ability to precisely detect millimeter-scale deformation over broad regions of active faulting. Satellite radar observations revealed hundreds of previously unmapped linear strain concentrations (or fractures) surrounding the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. We documented and analyzed displacements and widths of 169 of these fractures. Although most fractures are displaced in the direction of the prevailing tectonic stress (prograde), a large number of them are displaced in the opposite (retrograde) direction. We developed a model to explain the existence and behavior of these displacements. A major implication is that much of the prograde tectonic strain is accommodated by frictional slip on many preexisting faults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohua Xu
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - David T Sandwell
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lauren A Ward
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Chris W D Milliner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Peng Fang
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yehuda Bock
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Maturity of nearby faults influences seismic hazard from hydraulic fracturing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E1720-E1729. [PMID: 29432169 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1715284115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the causes of human-induced earthquakes is paramount to reducing societal risk. We investigated five cases of seismicity associated with hydraulic fracturing (HF) in Ohio since 2013 that, because of their isolation from other injection activities, provide an ideal setting for studying the relations between high-pressure injection and earthquakes. Our analysis revealed two distinct groups: (i) deeper earthquakes in the Precambrian basement, with larger magnitudes (M > 2), b-values < 1, and many post-shut-in earthquakes, versus (ii) shallower earthquakes in Paleozoic rocks ∼400 m below HF, with smaller magnitudes (M < 1), b-values > 1.5, and few post-shut-in earthquakes. Based on geologic history, laboratory experiments, and fault modeling, we interpret the deep seismicity as slip on more mature faults in older crystalline rocks and the shallow seismicity as slip on immature faults in younger sedimentary rocks. This suggests that HF inducing deeper seismicity may pose higher seismic hazards. Wells inducing deeper seismicity produced more water than wells with shallow seismicity, indicating more extensive hydrologic connections outside the target formation, consistent with pore pressure diffusion influencing seismicity. However, for both groups, the 2 to 3 h between onset of HF and seismicity is too short for typical fluid pressure diffusion rates across distances of ∼1 km and argues for poroelastic stress transfer also having a primary influence on seismicity.
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Barber T, Griffith WA. Experimental constraints on dynamic fragmentation as a dissipative process during seismic slip. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2017; 375:rsta.2016.0002. [PMID: 28827424 PMCID: PMC5580446 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Various fault damage fabrics, from gouge in the principal slip zone to fragmented and pulverized rocks in the fault damage zone, have been attributed to brittle deformation at high strain rates during earthquake rupture. Past experimental work has shown that there exists a critical threshold in stress-strain rate space through which rock failure transitions from failure along a few discrete fracture planes to intense fragmentation. We present new experimental results on Arkansas Novaculite (AN) and Westerly Granite (WG) in which we quantify fracture surface area produced by dynamic fragmentation under uniaxial compressive loading and examine the controls of pre-existing mineral anisotropy on dissipative processes at the microscale. Tests on AN produced substantially greater new fracture surface area (approx. 6.0 m2 g-1) than those on WG (0.07 m2 g-1). Estimates of the portion of energy dissipated into brittle fracture were significant for WG (approx. 5%), but appeared substantial in AN (10% to as much as 40%). The results have important implications for the partitioning of dissipated energy under extreme loading conditions expected during earthquakes and the scaling of high-speed laboratory rock mechanics experiments to natural fault zones.This article is part of the themed issue 'Faulting, friction and weakening: from slow to fast motion'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy Barber
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - W Ashley Griffith
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
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Nielsen S. From slow to fast faulting: recent challenges in earthquake fault mechanics. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2017; 375:rsta.2016.0016. [PMID: 28827428 PMCID: PMC5580450 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Faults-thin zones of highly localized shear deformation in the Earth-accommodate strain on a momentous range of dimensions (millimetres to hundreds of kilometres for major plate boundaries) and of time intervals (from fractions of seconds during earthquake slip, to years of slow, aseismic slip and millions of years of intermittent activity). Traditionally, brittle faults have been distinguished from shear zones which deform by crystal plasticity (e.g. mylonites). However such brittle/plastic distinction becomes blurred when considering (i) deep earthquakes that happen under conditions of pressure and temperature where minerals are clearly in the plastic deformation regime (a clue for seismologists over several decades) and (ii) the extreme dynamic stress drop occurring during seismic slip acceleration on faults, requiring efficient weakening mechanisms. High strain rates (more than 104 s-1) are accommodated within paper-thin layers (principal slip zone), where co-seismic frictional heating triggers non-brittle weakening mechanisms. In addition, (iii) pervasive off-fault damage is observed, introducing energy sinks which are not accounted for by traditional frictional models. These observations challenge our traditional understanding of friction (rate-and-state laws), anelastic deformation (creep and flow of crystalline materials) and the scientific consensus on fault operation.This article is part of the themed issue 'Faulting, friction and weakening: from slow to fast motion'.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Nielsen
- Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 5ED, UK
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Chester FM, Rowe C, Ujiie K, Kirkpatrick J, Regalla C, Remitti F, Moore JC, Toy V, Wolfson-Schwehr M, Bose S, Kameda J, Mori JJ, Brodsky EE, Eguchi N, Toczko S. Structure and composition of the plate-boundary slip zone for the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Science 2013; 342:1208-11. [PMID: 24311682 DOI: 10.1126/science.1243719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The mechanics of great subduction earthquakes are influenced by the frictional properties, structure, and composition of the plate-boundary fault. We present observations of the structure and composition of the shallow source fault of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and tsunami from boreholes drilled by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 343 and 343T. Logging-while-drilling and core-sample observations show a single major plate-boundary fault accommodated the large slip of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake rupture, as well as nearly all the cumulative interplate motion at the drill site. The localization of deformation onto a limited thickness (less than 5 meters) of pelagic clay is the defining characteristic of the shallow earthquake fault, suggesting that the pelagic clay may be a regionally important control on tsunamigenic earthquakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick M Chester
- Center for Tectonophysics, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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Xue L, Li HB, Brodsky EE, Xu ZQ, Kano Y, Wang H, Mori JJ, Si JL, Pei JL, Zhang W, Yang G, Sun ZM, Huang Y. Continuous Permeability Measurements Record Healing Inside the Wenchuan Earthquake Fault Zone. Science 2013; 340:1555-9. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1237237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Permeability controls fluid flow in fault zones and is a proxy for rock damage after an earthquake. We used the tidal response of water level in a deep borehole to track permeability for 18 months in the damage zone of the causative fault of the 2008 moment magnitude 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake. The unusually high measured hydraulic diffusivity of 2.4 × 10−2square meters per second implies a major role for water circulation in the fault zone. For most of the observation period, the permeability decreased rapidly as the fault healed. The trend was interrupted by abrupt permeability increases attributable to shaking from remote earthquakes. These direct measurements of the fault zone reveal a process of punctuated recovery as healing and damage interact in the aftermath of a major earthquake.
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Roland E, Lizarralde D, McGuire JJ, Collins JA. Seismic velocity constraints on the material properties that control earthquake behavior at the Quebrada-Discovery-Gofar transform faults, East Pacific Rise. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/2012jb009422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Candela T, Renard F, Klinger Y, Mair K, Schmittbuhl J, Brodsky EE. Roughness of fault surfaces over nine decades of length scales. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/2011jb009041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Suzuki T. Understanding of dynamic earthquake slip behavior using damage as a tensor variable: Microcrack distribution, orientation, and mode and secondary faulting. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1029/2011jb008908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Faulkner DR, Mitchell TM, Jensen E, Cembrano J. Scaling of fault damage zones with displacement and the implications for fault growth processes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1029/2010jb007788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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