Investigating Earthquake Source Processes in the Laboratory

人们致力于地震研究，以加深我们对这种自然现象的了解，并试图减少其灾难性破坏。然而，直接观察地震过程是不可能的，因为它们沿着几到数百公里深度的断层发生。俄克拉荷马大学的研究人员开发了一个实验实验室，配备了在天然岩石样本上复制地震速度和偏移量的工具。他们将与希伯来大学的一个实验室合作，模拟丙烯酸树脂的高速破裂，丙烯酸树脂与天然岩石不同，但可以帮助研究人员了解可能与天然岩石实验相关的正在发生的情况。这些补充性实验室实验的结合将帮助我们了解裂缝如何引起地震并辐射地震波。这些信息对于提高我们对地震危害的理解非常重要，因为它将加深我们对强烈地面震动的了解。俄克拉荷马大学团队开发了一种设备，可以物理模拟实验岩石断层上大地震的速度和位移。该团队成功地再现了众所周知的岩石弱化和能量消耗的地震特征。希伯来大学团队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功能，以更好地了解地震破裂，包括详细描述岩石破裂、摩擦和地面震动的真实过程。深部地震过程的实验数据对于有用模型的推导、地震观测的解释和地震危险性的评估至关重要。这两个实验系统的先进功能将能够以非常高的分辨率监测沿岩石断层的破裂，这是自然地震无法实现的。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，因此将显着促进对地震破裂过程、地震能量平衡、断层弱化物理以及滑移率、滑移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.