The role of fluid pressure on frictional behavior at the base of the seismogenic zone

Greg H. Hirth, & Nicholas M. Beeler

Published 2015, SCEC Contribution #1885

To characterize stress and deformation style at the base of the
seismogenic zone, we investigate how the mechanical properties of
fluid-rock systems respond to variations in temperature and strain
rate. The role of fluids on the processes responsible for the brittleductile
transition in quartz-rich rocks has not been explored at experimental
conditions where the kinetic competition between microcracking
and viscous flow is similar to that expected in the Earth. Our
initial analysis of this competition suggests that the effective stress
law for sliding friction should not work as efficiently near the brittleductile
transition as it does at shallow conditions.

Citation
Hirth, G. H., & Beeler, N. M. (2015). The role of fluid pressure on frictional behavior at the base of the seismogenic zone. Geology, 43(3), 223-226.