Acoustic Fluidization for Earthquakes?

Acoustic fluidization for earthquakes?

Melosh [1996] has suggested that acoustic fluidization could provide an alternative to theories that are invoked as explanations for why some faults appear to be weak. We show that there is a subtle but profound inconsistency in the theory that unfortunately invalidates the results. We propose possible remedies but must acknowledge that the relevance of acoustic fluidization remains an open que...

Title Dynamic Weakening by Acoustic Fluidization during Stick -Slip Motion

Acoustic Fluidization : What It Is , and Is Not

Acoustic Fluidization: I introduced the concept of acoustic fluidization in 1979 to explain the astonishingly low strength and viscosity exhibited by the collapse of impact craters and the formation of central peaks in lunar craters [1]. The name I gave to this process was not well chosen for the geologic community—“vibrational fluidization” might have been more apt--but that name was already i...

Acoustic Fluidization and the Extraordinary Mobility of Sturzstroms

Sturzstroms are a rare category of rock avalanche that travel vast horizontal distances with only a comparatively small vertical drop in height. Their extraordinary mobility appears to be a consequence of sustained fluid-like behavior during motion, which persists even for driving stresses well below those normally associated with granular flows. One mechanism that may explain this temporary in...

Dynamic Weakening by Acoustic Fluidization during Stick-Slip Motion.

The unexpected weakness of some faults has been attributed to the emergence of acoustic waves that promote failure by reducing the confining pressure through a mechanism known as acoustic fluidization, also proposed to explain earthquake remote triggering. Here we validate this mechanism via the numerical investigation of a granular fault model system. We find that the stick-slip dynamics is af...