Investigating Earthquake Source Processes in the Laboratory

人们一直致力于地震研究，以加深我们对这一自然现象的理解，并试图减少其灾难性的破坏。然而，直接观察地震过程是不可能的，因为地震发生在几公里到几百公里深处的断层上。俄克拉荷马大学的研究人员开发了一个实验实验室，用工具在天然岩石样本上复制地震速度和偏移量。他们将与希伯来大学的一个实验室合作，模拟亚克力材料的高速破裂，亚克力材料与天然岩石不同，但可以帮助研究人员了解与天然岩石实验有关的情况。这些实验室实验的结合将帮助我们了解裂缝是如何引起地震和辐射地震波的。这些信息对于提高我们对地震危害的理解非常重要，因为它将促进我们对强烈地面震动的了解。俄克拉何马大学的研究小组开发了一种仪器，可以在实验岩石断层上物理模拟大地震的速度和位移。这个小组成功地再现了众所周知的地震特征，即岩石变弱和能量消耗。希伯来大学的研究小组开发了独特的高速实验工具，可以定量测量“实验室”地震破裂的极快机械演化。该项目将结合两个实验系统的独特能力，以更好地了解地震破裂，包括对岩石破裂、摩擦和地面震动的实际过程的详细描述。深层地震过程的实验数据对于推导有用的模型、解释地震观测和评价地震危险性是必不可少的。这两种实验系统的先进功能将允许以非常高的分辨率监测岩石断层的破裂，这在自然地震中是无法实现的。预计这种破裂监测将提供实验、理论和地震概念之间缺失的联系，因此将显著促进对地震破裂过程、地震能量平衡、断层弱化物理以及滑动速率、滑动震级和地震危险性的理解。

Major efforts have been devoted to earthquake research to further our understanding of this natural phenomenon and attempt to reduce its disastrous damage. However, it is not possible to directly observe earthquake processes, because they occur along faults at depths of a few to hundreds of kilometers. The researchers from Oklahoma University have developed an experimental laboratory with tools to duplicate earthquake speeds and offsets on samples of natural rocks. They will partner with a laboratory at Hebrew University that simulate high speed fracturing on acrylics, which are not the same as naturally occurring rocks but can help researchers see aspects of what is happening that could be related to the natural rock experiments. The combination of these sets of complimentary lab experiments will help us to understand how fractures that cause earthquakes and radiates seismic waves. This information is important to improving how we understand seismic hazards because it will advance what we know about strong ground shaking.The Oklahoma University team developed an apparatus that physically simulates the velocity and displacement of large earthquakes on experimental rock faults. This team succeeded in reproducing well-known earthquake features of rock weakening and energy consumption. The Hebrew University team has developed unique, high-speed experimental tools that quantitatively measure the extremely fast mechanical evolution of the rupture of a "laboratory" earthquake. The project will combine the unique capabilities of the two experimental systems for better understanding of earthquake rupture, including detailed description of realistic processes of rock fracturing, friction, and ground shaking. Experimental data on earthquake processes at depth are essential for the derivation of useful models, interpretation of seismic observations, and the evaluation of seismic hazard. The advanced features of the two experimental systems will allow monitoring of rupture along rock-faults at very high resolution, which cannot be achieved for natural earthquakes. It is anticipated that this rupture monitoring will provide the missing links between experiments, theory and seismic concepts, and therefore will significantly advance the understanding of earthquake rupture processes, earthquake energy balance, physics of fault weakening, and the scaling of slip rate, slip magnitude, and seismic hazard.