Investigating Earthquake Source Processes in the Laboratory

为了加深我们对这一自然现象的了解，并试图减少其灾难性的破坏，人们在地震研究方面付出了巨大的努力。然而，直接观测地震过程是不可能的，因为它们发生在几到数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，用工具复制天然岩石样本的地震速度和偏移量。他们将与希伯来大学的一个实验室合作，该实验室模拟丙烯酸酯的高速破裂，这种丙烯酸酯与自然形成的岩石不同，但可以帮助研究人员了解正在发生的事情的一些方面，这些方面可能与天然岩石实验有关。结合这些免费的实验室实验，我们将帮助我们了解引发地震和辐射地震波的裂缝是如何产生的。这些信息对改善我们理解地震灾害的方式很重要，因为它将促进我们对强烈地面震动的了解。俄克拉荷马大学研究小组开发了一种设备，可以在实验岩石断层上物理模拟大地震的速度和位移。这个团队成功地再现了众所周知的岩石软化和能源消耗的地震特征。希伯来大学团队开发了独特的、高速的实验工具，可以定量测量“实验室”地震破裂的极快的机械演化。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建立有用的模型、解释地震观测和评估地震危险性是必不可少的。这两个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，这是天然地震无法实现的。预计这种破裂监测将弥补实验、理论和地震概念之间的缺失环节，因此将大大促进对地震破裂过程、地震能量平衡、断层弱化的物理以及滑动速率、滑动强度和地震危险性的刻度的理解。

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.