Particle size and energetics of gouge from earthquake rupture zones

Brent Wilson, Thomas Dewers, Ze'ev Reches () and James Brune
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Brent Wilson: University of Oklahoma
Thomas Dewers: University of Oklahoma
Ze'ev Reches: University of Oklahoma
James Brune: University of Nevada

Nature, 2005, vol. 434, issue 7034, 749-752

Abstract: Earthquake energy: ground force Surprisingly, considering the forces that we see at the surface, not all the energy involved in an earthquake is transformed into ground motion; much of it is consumed by frictional heating and rock pulverization. An analysis of pulverized rock, or gouge, collected from the San Andreas Fault in California and from a rupture zone at 2 km depth in a South African gold mine contradicts the commonly held view that gouge surface energy is a negligible component of earthquake energy balance. The analysis reveals unexpected diminutive particles in gouge samples, indicating that pulverization, not frictional heating, is the major consumer of earthquake energy at depth. This might explain the heat flow anomaly seen in the San Andreas fault system and perhaps some other long-standing puzzles in earthquake energetics.

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/nature03433

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