Earthquake lubrication and healing explained by amorphous nanosilica

Christie D. Rowe; Kelsey Lamothe; Marieke Rempe; Mark Andrews; Thomas M. Mitchell; Giulio Di Toro; Joseph Clancy White; Stefano Aretusini

doi:10.1038/s41467-018-08238-y

Nature Communications (Jan 2019)

Earthquake lubrication and healing explained by amorphous nanosilica

Christie D. Rowe,
Kelsey Lamothe,
Marieke Rempe,
Mark Andrews,
Thomas M. Mitchell,
Giulio Di Toro,
Joseph Clancy White,
Stefano Aretusini

Affiliations

Christie D. Rowe: Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University
Kelsey Lamothe: Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University
Marieke Rempe: Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università degli Studi di Padova
Mark Andrews: Department of Chemistry, McGill University
Thomas M. Mitchell: Rock and Ice Physics and UCL Seismological Laboratory, Earth Sciences Department, University College London
Giulio Di Toro: Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università degli Studi di Padova
Joseph Clancy White: Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Brunswick
Stefano Aretusini: Sezione di Tettonofisica e Sismologia, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-08238-y
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Tectonic faults weaken during slip in order to accelerate and produce earthquakes. Here the authors show a mechanism for weakening faults through the transformation of quartz to amorphous nanoparticulate wear powders that lubricate friction experiments, and transform back to quartz under geologic conditions.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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