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Dynamic rupture initiation and propagation in a fluid-injection laboratory setup with diagnostics across multiple temporal scales

2021; National Academy of Sciences; Volume: 118; Issue: 51 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1073/pnas.2023433118

1091-6490

Marcello Gori, V. Rubino, Ares J. Rosakis, N. Lapusta,

Earthquake Detection and Analysis

Significance Fluids present in the Earth’s crust promote earthquakes, as well as a variety of aseismic slip events, both in natural tectonic settings and potentially due to industrial activities, such as wastewater disposal, geothermal energy production, and CO 2 storage. To study the physical processes linking fluids and slip motion, we have devised a laboratory earthquake setup capable of injecting fluid onto a simulated fault and monitoring the resulting slip on a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Our findings indicate that faster injection rates result in lower fluid pressure at rupture initiation, highlighting the role of fluid injection rate in inducing seismic or aseismic slip events. We also find that the presence of fluids significantly affects the dynamic rupture propagation.