The Mechanics of Earthquakes and Faulting

Christopher H. Scholz

Cambridge University Press, May 2, 2002 - Nature - 471 pages

Our understanding of earthquakes and faulting processes has developed significantly since publication of the successful first edition of this book in 1990. This revised edition, first published in 2002, was therefore thoroughly up-dated whilst maintaining and developing the two major themes of the first edition. The first of these themes is the connection between fault and earthquake mechanics, including fault scaling laws, the nature of fault populations, and how these result from the processes of fault growth and interaction. The second major theme is the central role of the rate-state friction laws in earthquake mechanics, which provide a unifying framework within which a wide range of faulting phenomena can be interpreted. With the inclusion of two chapters explaining brittle fracture and rock friction from first principles, this book is written at a level which will appeal to graduate students and research scientists in the fields of seismology, physics, geology, geodesy and rock mechanics.

Contents

• Brittle fracture of rock: 1
• 112 Griffith theory: 4
• 113 Fracture mechanics: 9
• 114 Crack models: 13
• 115 Macroscopic fracture criteria: 17
• 12 Experimental studies of rock strength: 21
• 121 Macroscopic strength: 22
• 122 Fracture energies: 28
• 123 Discussion of fracture criteria in the light ofexperimental results: 31
• 124 Effect of scale on strength: 35
• 13 Pore fluid effects on fracture: 37
• 132 Environmental effects on strength: 39
• 14 The brittleplastic transition: 43
• 141 General principles: 44
• 142 The transition induced by pressure: 46
• 143 The transition induced by temperature: 48
• 144 Extrapolation to geological conditions: 50
• Rock friction: 53
• 212 The adhesion theory of friction: 55
• 213 Elastic contact theory of friction: 57
• 214 Other frictional interactions: 63
• 22 Experimental observations of friction: 66
• 221 General observations: 67
• 222 Effects of other variables on friction: 68
• 223 Wear: 77
• 23 Stick slip and stable sliding: 81
• the rate and state variable friction laws: 83
• 233 Frictional stability regimes: 87
• 234 Dynamics of stick slip: 94
• 24 Friction under geological conditions: 97
• Mechanics of faulting: 101
• 312 HubbertRubey theory of overthrustfaulting: 104
• 313 Stress in the crust fault reactivation and friction: 107
• 32 The formation and growth of faults: 110
• 322 Growth and development of faults: 115
• 323 Fault interactions and fault populations: 126
• 33 Fault rocks and structures: 135
• 331 Fault rocks and deformation mechanisms: 136
• 332 Fabrics and surfaces: 141
• 34 Strength and rheology of faults: 145
• 341 A synoptic shear zone model: 146
• the downward continuation of faults: 154
• 343 Thermomechanical effects of faulting: 155
• 344 The debate on the strength of crustal fault zones: 158
• 35 Fault morphology and mechanical effects of heterogeneity: 168
• 352 Mechanical effects of fault irregularities: 173
• Mechanics of earthquakes: 179
• 42 Theoretical background: 182
• 422 Dynamic shear crack propagation: 185
• 423 Simple applications to earthquake rupture: 195
• 43 Earthquake phenomenology: 198
• 432 Earthquake scaling relations: 202
• 44 Observations of earthquakes: 211
• 442 Earthquake sequences: 224
• Clustering and migration: 229
• 45 Mechanics of earthquake interactions: 234
• 452 Mechanisms for the time delay: 237
• The seismic cycle: 244
• 52 The crustal deformation cycle: 247
• 521 Geodetic observations of strain accumulation: 248
• 522 Models of strain accumulation: 254
• 523 Postseismic phenomena: 259
• 53 The earthquake cycle: 265
• 532 Geological observations of recurrence times: 273
• 533 Recurrence estimation with insufficient data: 283
• 534 Seismicity changes during the loading cycle: 287
• 535 The question of earthquake periodicity: 291
• 54 Earthquake recurrence models: 294
• Seismotectonics: 300
• 62 Seismotectonic analysis: 303
• 622 Quantitative analysis: 306
• 63 Comparative seismotectonics: 309
• 632 Oceanic earthquakes: 318
• 633 Continental extensional regimes: 323
• 634 Intraplate earthquakes: 326
• 635 Mechanism of deep earthquakes: 329
• 636 Slow and tsunamigenic earthquakes: 331
• 64 The relative role of seismic and aseismic faulting: 333
• 641 Aseismicslip: 334
• 642 Seismic coupling ofsubduction zones: 337
• 65 Induced seismicity: 341
• 651 Some examples: 342
• 652 Mechanisms of reservoirinduced seismicity: 344
• 653 Mininginduced seismicity: 348
• 654 Induced seismicity as a stress gauge: 350
• Earthquake prediction and hazard analysis: 351
• 712 Types of earthquake prediction: 352
• 72 Precursory phenomena: 358
• 722 Intermediateterm precursors: 361
• 723 Shortterm precursors: 375
• 73 Mechanisms of precursory phenomena: 380
• 731 Nucleation models: 381
• 732 Dilatancy models: 384
• 733 Lithospheric loading models: 390
• 734 Critical point theory: 393
• 736 Earthquake prediction experiments: 403
• 74 Earthquake hazard analysis: 404
• 742 longterm hazard analysis: 406
• 743 Analysis of instantaneous hazard: 408
• 75 Future prospects and problems: 412
• References: 415
• Index: 467

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Mechanics of Earthquakes and Faulting
• Author: Christopher H. Scholz
• Edition: illustrated, reprint, revised
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2002
• ISBN: 0521655404, 9780521655408
• Length: 471 pages
• Subjects: Nature / Earthquakes & Volcanoes; Nature / Weather; Science / Earth Sciences / Geology; Science / Earth Sciences / Seismology & Volcanism; Science / Physics / Geophysics