Issues

COVER: Colorized electronic microscopy image showing glass solidified from melt produced by frictional heating on a fault plane during a laboratory experiment. In Gasc et al.’s study, frictional melting was observed on cross sections perpendicular to the fault planes. It is here observed directly from above the fault plane. Spectacular stretching of this melt reflects the sliding direction, which illustrates the co-seismic nature of frictional melting and the dramatic lubricating role it plays during dynamic slip. The image is 45 μm wide. See ‘Deep-focus earthquakes: From high-temperature experiments to cold slabs’ by Gasc et al., p. 1018–1022 in the September issue of Geology.

Image by: Damien Deldicque; sample provided by Jérôme Aubry