Geology of the Earthquake Source: A Volume in Honour of Rick Sibson

Professor Richard (Rick) Sibson revolutionized structural geology by illustrating that fault rocks contain an integrated record of earthquakes. Fault-rock textures develop in response to geological and physical variables such as composition, environmental conditions (e.g. temperature and pressure), fluid presence and strain rate. These parameters also determine the rate- and state-variable frictional stability of a fault, the dominant mineral deformation mechanism and shear strength, and ultimately control the partitioning between seismic and aseismic deformation. This volume contains a collection of papers that address the geological record of earthquake faulting from field-based or theoretical perspectives. The papers cover observations in active fault zones, the relationships between fault rocks and fault-slip styles, interpretation of fault-rock textures from the base of the seismogenic zone, consideration of the effects of fluids on faulting, discussion of fault reactivation v. initiation, and a review of future directions in geological earthquake research by Professor Sibson.
Textural record of the seismic cycle: strain-rate variation in an ancient subduction thrust
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Published:January 01, 2011
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CiteCitation
Christie D. Rowe, Francesca Meneghini, J. Casey Moore, 2011. "Textural record of the seismic cycle: strain-rate variation in an ancient subduction thrust", Geology of the Earthquake Source: A Volume in Honour of Rick Sibson, Å. Fagereng, V. G. Toy, J. V. Rowland
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Abstract
Active faults slip at different rates over the course of the seismic cycle: earthquake slip (c. 1 m s−1), interseismic creep (c. 10–100 mm year−1) and intermediate rate transients (e.g. afterslip and slow slip events). Studies of exhumed faults are sometimes able to identify seismic slip surfaces by the presence of frictional melts, and slow creep by textures diagnostic of rate-limited plastic processes. The Pasagshak Point Thrust preserves three distinct fault rock textures, which are mutually cross-cutting, and can be correlated to different strain rates. Ultrafine-grained black fault rocks, including pseudotachylyte,...