Uncovering how fault characteristics and their evolution affect fault stability and earthquake nucleation
My doctoral research focuses on understanding the complex control of fault characteristics such as roughness, wear and damage, on fault stability and earthquake nucleation.
In the Rock Physics and Mechanics Laboratory at ETH Zurich, I use the triaxial machine of LabQuake to perform experiments to shed more light on earthquakes occurring at the brittle-ductile transition. Several technologies are used such as Distributed Strain Sensing with fibre optic cables to characterise the strain field during the experiment and white light interferometry to characterise the fault surface prior and after the experiment.
The first paper of my doctoral research has been published in EPSL. In this paper, we demonstrate the importance of understanding and quantifying stress and strain heterogeneities in the laboratory, driven by roughness and wear. This is crucial for understanding fault stability and the underlying physics governing the occurrence of dynamic instability. The paper presents a frictional test conducted on Carrara marble at consecutive confining pressure steps. Kudos to all the co-authors who made this research possible!
