Platt, JD;
Brantut, N;
Rice, JR;
(2015)
Strain localization driven by thermal decomposition during seismic shear.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
, 120
(6)
pp. 4405-4433.
10.1002/2014JB011493.
Preview |
Text
jgrb51124.pdf Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Field and laboratory observations show that shear deformation is often extremely localized at seismic slip rates, with a typical deforming zone width on the order of a few tens of microns. This extreme localization can be understood in terms of thermally driven weakening mechanisms. A zone of initially high strain rate will experience more shear heating and thus weaken faster, making it more likely to accommodate subsequent deformation. Fault zones often contain thermally unstable minerals such as clays or carbonates, which devolatilize at the high temperatures attained during seismic slip. In this paper, we investigate how these thermal decomposition reactions drive strain localization when coupled to a model for thermal pressurization of in situ groundwater. Building on Rice et al. (2014), we use a linear stability analysis to predict a localized zone thickness that depends on a combination of hydraulic, frictional, and thermochemical properties of the deforming fault rock. Numerical simulations show that the onset of thermal decomposition drives additional strain localization when compared with thermal pressurization alone and predict localized zone thicknesses of ∼7 and ∼13 μm for lizardite and calcite, respectively. Finally we show how thermal diffusion and the endothermic reaction combine to limit the peak temperature of the fault and that the pore fluid released by the reaction provides additional weakening of ∼20–40% of the initial strength.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Strain localization driven by thermal decomposition during seismic shear |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1002/2014JB011493 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2014JB011493 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | ©2015. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Earth Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1467028 |
Loading...
Loading...Loading...Loading...Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
