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Metadata Files

Data Publication

Large-scale biaxial experiments on frictionally heterogeneous faults: Mechanical data and selected strain and image data

Loes Buijze | Yanshuang Guo

Utrecht University

(2020)

Descriptions

Frictional heterogeneity within fault zones is one of the factors proposed to explain the spectrum of slow, intermediate, and fast slip behaviors exhibited by faults in nature. Numerical modeling shows how even a simplified model setup incorporating sliding on a velocity-weakening (VW) patch surrounded by velocity-strengthening (VS) material can reproduce a rich variety of slip behaviors resembling nature. However, experimental investigations of sliding on heterogeneous faults are few. In this study, the slip behavior of three, 347 mm long x 50 mm wide, heterogeneous experimental faults, constructed using diagonally sawcut PMMA forcing blocks, was investigated at low normal stresses (<10.5 MPa) and room temperature. Fault friction was controlled by including an 80 mm long, 2 mm thick, central segment of VW gypsum “gouge” flanked by two VS segments composed of calcite, quartz, or kaolinite. The length of the VW segment was of the same order or just below the critical nucleation length for gypsum gouge. Strain gauges and multi-rate digital imaging were used to map stress and displacement along the fault zone. At the highest normal stress the data showed confined ruptures, whereby rupture nucleated in the VW gypsum and was arrested or strongly decelerated in the VS segments. Slip rates on the VW segment were close to dynamic slip rates, but significant slow slip was also observed in the VW segment between rapid events. Lowering the normal stress on the fault, from 10.5 to 1 MPa resulted in slow slip events occurring uniformly over the whole fault (calcite – gypsum fault), near-stable sliding on the whole fault (quartz – gypsum fault), or persistent stick-slippan> behavior on the VW segment as at higher normal stress (kaolinite – gypsum fault). The spectrum of behaviors observed is consistent with that predicted by previous numerical modeling of frictionally heterogeneous faults with a similar geometry as the experiment. The experiments also showed how stress concentrations influence slip behavior. Specifically, normal stress concentrations, formed due to heterogeneous compaction of the kaolinite and VW gypsum gouges, promoted unstable sliding in the latter. Shear stress concentrations at the extremities of the VW segment caused significant slow slip to occur at the extremities of the VW segments, and in the quartz – gypsum experiment seemed to promote local slip events at low stresses. The observed fault slippan> behavior was thus controlled by gouge friction and stress distribution, and is consistent with numerical models and theory as applied to both natural and induced seismicity. Contact person: Loes Buijze - Researcher - loes.buijze@tno.nl.

Keywords


Originally assigned keywords
Natural Sciences - Earth and related environmental sciences (1.5)
heterogeneous fault friction
rupture nucleation
unstable sliding
slow slip
velocity-weakening asperity
biaxial experiment
scaled experiment
confined rupture
Biaxial
Rotary Shear
Triaxial
gypsum
calcite
quartz
kaolin
Friction
Strain gauge
Photography
EPOS
multi-scale laboratories
rock and melt physical properties

Corresponding MSL vocabulary keywords
slip weakening parameters
biaxial compression apparatus
rotary shear apparatus
rotary shear apparatus
gypsum
calcite
quartz
friction coefficient
frictional deformation
friction coefficient

MSL enriched keywords
Measured property
friction - controlled slip rate
slip weakening parameters
Apparatus
deformation testing
compression testing
biaxial compression apparatus
shear testing
rotary shear apparatus
Apparatus
characterization of modelling material
frictional property determination
rotary shear apparatus
minerals
sulfate minerals
gypsum
carbonate minerals
calcite
silicate minerals
tectosilicates
quartz
friction coefficient
Inferred deformation behavior
deformation behaviour
frictional deformation
Measured property
friction - controlled slip rate
friction coefficient
strain
strain
phyllosilicates
clay - kaolinite
kaolinite
conventional triaxial apparatus: saw-cut
rate and state friction (RSF) parameters
rate and state friction (RSF) parameters
tectonic deformation structure
tectonic fault
induced seismicity

MSL enriched sub domains i

rock and melt physics
analogue modelling of geologic processes

Source

https://public.yoda.uu.nl/geo/UU01/2RECP2.html

Source publisher

Utrecht University


DOI

10.24416/uu01-2recp2


Creators

Loes Buijze

Utrecht University | TNO

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7749-8706

Yanshuang Guo

Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6645-4011


Contributors

Buijze, Loes

DataCollector

Utrecht University | TNO

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7749-8706

Buijze, Loes

ContactPerson

Utrecht University | TNO

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7749-8706

Guo, Yanshuang

DataCollector

Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6645-4011

Guo, Yanshuang

Researcher

Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6645-4011

Niemeijer, André Rik

Researcher

Utrecht University

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3983-9308

Ma, Shengli

Researcher

Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5964-5458

Spiers, Christopher James

Supervisor

Utrecht University

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3436-8941

Experimental rock deformation/HPT-Lab (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)

HostingInstitution

Utrecht University

Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, State

HostingInstitution

China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China


References

https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB018429

https://doi.org/10.5334/jors.bl

https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079201


Citation

Buijze, L., & Guo, Y. (2020). Large-scale biaxial experiments on frictionally heterogeneous faults: Mechanical data and selected strain and image data. Utrecht University. https://doi.org/10.24416/UU01-2RECP2


Dates

Updated:

2024-07-12T11:08:11


Language

en


Funding References

Funder name: Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij B.V. - Studies on fault (re)activation and dynamic friction and failure behavior

Funder name: European Research Council - SEISMIC

Funder name: NWO Vidi

Funder name: National Natural Science Foundation of China


Rights

Open - freely retrievable

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License


Datacite version

1.0