Abstract
We study the effects of structural inhomogeneity on the quasi-static growth of strike-slip faults. A layered medium is considered, made up of an upper layer bounded by a free surface and welded to a lower half-space with different elastic property. Mode III crack is employed as a mathematical model of strike-slip fault, which is nucleated in the lower half-space and then propagates towards the interface. We adopt FEM-β, newly proposed analysis method for failure, to simulate the quasi-statistic crack growth governed by the stress distribution in layered media. Our results show that along planar traces across interfaces a compliant upper layer has significant effects on promoting/ suppressing crack growth before/after its extension into the layer and vice versa for a rigid one. This proposes a possibility that surface breaks due to strike-slip faulting could be arrested by deposit layers at the topmost part of the Earth's crust.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 309-314 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Geophysical Journal International |
| Volume | 173 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 Apr |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Dynamics and mechanics of faulting
- Earthquake dynamics
- Fracture and faults
- Mechanics, theory and modelling
- Numerical solutions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geochemistry and Petrology
- Geophysics
Cite this
Quasi-static analysis of strike fault growth in layered media. / Kame, Nobuki; Saito, Shuji; Oguni, Kenji.
In: Geophysical Journal International, Vol. 173, No. 1, 04.2008, p. 309-314.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Quasi-static analysis of strike fault growth in layered media
AU - Kame, Nobuki
AU - Saito, Shuji
AU - Oguni, Kenji
PY - 2008/4
Y1 - 2008/4
N2 - We study the effects of structural inhomogeneity on the quasi-static growth of strike-slip faults. A layered medium is considered, made up of an upper layer bounded by a free surface and welded to a lower half-space with different elastic property. Mode III crack is employed as a mathematical model of strike-slip fault, which is nucleated in the lower half-space and then propagates towards the interface. We adopt FEM-β, newly proposed analysis method for failure, to simulate the quasi-statistic crack growth governed by the stress distribution in layered media. Our results show that along planar traces across interfaces a compliant upper layer has significant effects on promoting/ suppressing crack growth before/after its extension into the layer and vice versa for a rigid one. This proposes a possibility that surface breaks due to strike-slip faulting could be arrested by deposit layers at the topmost part of the Earth's crust.
AB - We study the effects of structural inhomogeneity on the quasi-static growth of strike-slip faults. A layered medium is considered, made up of an upper layer bounded by a free surface and welded to a lower half-space with different elastic property. Mode III crack is employed as a mathematical model of strike-slip fault, which is nucleated in the lower half-space and then propagates towards the interface. We adopt FEM-β, newly proposed analysis method for failure, to simulate the quasi-statistic crack growth governed by the stress distribution in layered media. Our results show that along planar traces across interfaces a compliant upper layer has significant effects on promoting/ suppressing crack growth before/after its extension into the layer and vice versa for a rigid one. This proposes a possibility that surface breaks due to strike-slip faulting could be arrested by deposit layers at the topmost part of the Earth's crust.
KW - Dynamics and mechanics of faulting
KW - Earthquake dynamics
KW - Fracture and faults
KW - Mechanics, theory and modelling
KW - Numerical solutions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=41249095325&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=41249095325&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03728.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03728.x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:41249095325
VL - 173
SP - 309
EP - 314
JO - Geophysical Journal International
JF - Geophysical Journal International
SN - 0956-540X
IS - 1
ER -