Laboratory Hydrofractures as Analogs to Tectonic Tremors
Abstract The fracture of Earth materials occurs over a wide range of time and length scales. Physical conditions, particularly the stress field and Earth material properties, may condition rupture in a specific fracture regime. In nature, fast and slow fractures occur concurrently: tectonic tremor e...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-02-01
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| Series: | AGU Advances |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023AV001002 |
| _version_ | 1797294676951171072 |
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| author | C. Yuan T. Cochard M. Denolle J. Gomberg A. Wech L. Xiao D. Weitz |
| author_facet | C. Yuan T. Cochard M. Denolle J. Gomberg A. Wech L. Xiao D. Weitz |
| author_sort | C. Yuan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The fracture of Earth materials occurs over a wide range of time and length scales. Physical conditions, particularly the stress field and Earth material properties, may condition rupture in a specific fracture regime. In nature, fast and slow fractures occur concurrently: tectonic tremor events are fast enough to emit seismic waves and frequently accompany slow earthquakes, which are too slow to emit seismic waves and are referred to as aseismic slip events. In this study, we generate simultaneous seismic and aseismic processes in a laboratory setting by driving a penny‐shaped crack in a transparent sample with pressurized fluid. We leverage synchronized high‐speed imaging and high‐frequency acoustic emission (AE) sensing to visualize and listen to the various sequences of propagation (breaks) and arrest (sticks) of a fracture undergoing stick‐break instabilities. Slow radial crack propagation is facilitated by fast tangential fractures. Fluid viscosity and pressure regulate the fracture dynamics of slow and fast events, and control the inter‐event time and the energy released during individual fast events. These AE signals share behaviors with observations of episodic tremors in Cascadia, United States; these include: (a) bursty or intermittent slow propagation, and (b) nearly linear scaling of radiated energy with area. Our laboratory experiments provide a plausible model of tectonic tremor as an indicative of hydraulic fracturing facilitating shear slip during slow earthquakes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T21:34:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-77f140140bdd4b228ab61c8868b9d608 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2576-604X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T21:34:42Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AGU Advances |
| spelling | doaj.art-77f140140bdd4b228ab61c8868b9d6082024-02-26T14:22:30ZengWileyAGU Advances2576-604X2024-02-0151n/an/a10.1029/2023AV001002Laboratory Hydrofractures as Analogs to Tectonic TremorsC. Yuan0T. Cochard1M. Denolle2J. Gomberg3A. Wech4L. Xiao5D. Weitz6Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Harvard University Cambridge MA USAChina University of Petroleum Beijing ChinaEarth and Space Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USAU.S. Geological Survey Seattle WA USAU.S. Geological Survey Seattle WA USAChina University of Petroleum Beijing ChinaSchool of Engineering and Applied Sciences University of Harvard Cambridge MA USAAbstract The fracture of Earth materials occurs over a wide range of time and length scales. Physical conditions, particularly the stress field and Earth material properties, may condition rupture in a specific fracture regime. In nature, fast and slow fractures occur concurrently: tectonic tremor events are fast enough to emit seismic waves and frequently accompany slow earthquakes, which are too slow to emit seismic waves and are referred to as aseismic slip events. In this study, we generate simultaneous seismic and aseismic processes in a laboratory setting by driving a penny‐shaped crack in a transparent sample with pressurized fluid. We leverage synchronized high‐speed imaging and high‐frequency acoustic emission (AE) sensing to visualize and listen to the various sequences of propagation (breaks) and arrest (sticks) of a fracture undergoing stick‐break instabilities. Slow radial crack propagation is facilitated by fast tangential fractures. Fluid viscosity and pressure regulate the fracture dynamics of slow and fast events, and control the inter‐event time and the energy released during individual fast events. These AE signals share behaviors with observations of episodic tremors in Cascadia, United States; these include: (a) bursty or intermittent slow propagation, and (b) nearly linear scaling of radiated energy with area. Our laboratory experiments provide a plausible model of tectonic tremor as an indicative of hydraulic fracturing facilitating shear slip during slow earthquakes.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023AV001002hydrofracturingfracture dynamicstensile cracktectonic tremorslow earthquake |
| spellingShingle | C. Yuan T. Cochard M. Denolle J. Gomberg A. Wech L. Xiao D. Weitz Laboratory Hydrofractures as Analogs to Tectonic Tremors AGU Advances hydrofracturing fracture dynamics tensile crack tectonic tremor slow earthquake |
| title | Laboratory Hydrofractures as Analogs to Tectonic Tremors |
| title_full | Laboratory Hydrofractures as Analogs to Tectonic Tremors |
| title_fullStr | Laboratory Hydrofractures as Analogs to Tectonic Tremors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Laboratory Hydrofractures as Analogs to Tectonic Tremors |
| title_short | Laboratory Hydrofractures as Analogs to Tectonic Tremors |
| title_sort | laboratory hydrofractures as analogs to tectonic tremors |
| topic | hydrofracturing fracture dynamics tensile crack tectonic tremor slow earthquake |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023AV001002 |
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