Rougher faults may generate more earthquake aftershocks

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

When an earthquake strikes, it is rarely an isolated event. Earthquakes precede earthquakes, and aftershocks follow. To estimate seismic risk, scientists must separate the factors that contribute to the shaking sequence.

In recent years, advances in laboratory methods have enabled deeper exploration of earthquake dynamics. Now, Goebel et al. presents new lab findings that highlight how the roughness of rocks sliding past each other in the fault zone may affect aftershocks.

The researchers created fractures of varying roughness in several granite cylinders ranging in diameter from 40 to 50 millimeters. Then they tapped the broken granite to simulate the sliding motions along the crack. They measured the resulting seismic disturbances with high precision in the form of acoustic emission wave measurements. The result is a realistic and manipulable simulation of actual earthquakes: the spacing and timing of mainslides, foreshore and aftershocks in granite cylinders resemble real-world Southern California earthquakes.

The researchers found that after a major slip along the fracture—similar to a major earthquake along the fault—the granite cylinders underwent periods of relaxation in the accumulated stress as well as aftershocks. Fractures with greater roughness moved less along the fracture during the main slip event but had more aftershocks; Smoother fractures had greater slippage but fewer consequences.

These results indicate that in nature, fault surface roughness may play a major role in the production of aftershocks after a major earthquake event. (Geophysical Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL101241, 2023)

Sarah Stanley, science writer

Citation: Stanley, S. (2023), Roger Errors May Lead to More Aftershocks, EOS, 104, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EO230175. Published May 1, 2023. Text © 2023. AGU. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Unless otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without the express permission of the copyright owner is prohibited.

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