Effects of acoustic waves on stick–slip in granular media and implications for earthquakes

Paul A. Johnson (), Heather Savage, Matt Knuth, Joan Gomberg and Chris Marone
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Paul A. Johnson: Geophysics Group EES-11, Los Alamos National Laboratory of the University of California, MS D443, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
Heather Savage: Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
Matt Knuth: Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
Joan Gomberg: US Geological Survey, University of Washington, Box 351310, Seattle, Washington 98195-1310, USA
Chris Marone: Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA

Nature, 2008, vol. 451, issue 7174, 57-60

Abstract: Earthquakes take the strain Small strains induced by seismic waves can trigger earthquakes thousands of kilometres away, with failure often occurring long after the waves have passed. The mechanism behind this phenomenon of dynamic earthquake triggering is unknown. Lab studies of granular friction have become a useful tool for investigating fault zone processes, as shown by new experiments tracking stick–slip in granular media (glass beads), with acoustic waves used to simulate earthquake triggering. The results show that small magnitude failure events, corresponding to triggered aftershocks, occur when sound waves of sufficient amplitude are applied. Vibrations also cause large slip events to be disrupted in time relative to those without wave perturbation, suggesting that dynamic stressing of tectonic faults may play a role in determining the complexity of earthquake recurrence.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06440

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