Energy Partitioning and Strain Release in Structurally Complex Fault Systems

Co-organized by EMRP1/SM9

Convener: Rebecca M. Harrington | Co-conveners: Thomas Mitchell, Elizabeth Cochran

Abstract submission

Natural fault zones are structurally complex systems, comprise fractures and faults of millimeters to hundreds of kilometers in length, and may generate aseismic slip and earthquakes over many orders of magnitude. How the elastic strain potential energy is released on a fault or across a fault system during slip is dictated by both on- and off-fault processes operating over a wide range of spatiotemporal scales. Understanding how effectively our current approaches quantify fault loading and strain release requires integrating a variety of approaches from microscopic to regional length scales and over time scales ranging from fractions of seconds during coseismic slip to thousands of years during the seismic cycle. This session solicits a wide range of contributions, including, but not limited to, multiphysics modeling, laboratory experiments, geological, geodetic, and seismological observations of tectonic or induced earthquakes, with work considering the partitioning of energy in diffuse or localized deformation.