Abstract
The failure process in a brittle granite sample can be stabilized by controlling axial stress to maintain a constant rate of acoustic emission. As a result, the post-failure stress curve can be followed quasi-statically, extending to hours the fault growth process which normally would occur violently in a fraction of a second. Using a procedure originally developed to locate earthquakes, acoustic emission arrival-time data are inverted to obtain three-dimensional locations of microseisms. These locations provide a detailed view of fracture nucleation and growth.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Wawersik, W. R. & Fairhurst, C. Int. J. Rock Mech. Mining Sci. 7, 561–575 (1970).
Wawersik, W. R. & Brace, W. F. Rock Mech. 3, 61–85 (1971).
Wong, T. F. J. geophys. Res. 87, 990–1000 (1982).
Terada, M., Yanagidani, T. & Ehara, S. in Proc. 3rd Conf. on Acoustic Emission/Microseismic Activity in Geol. Structures and Materials (eds Hardy, H. R. & Leighton, F. W.) 159–171 (Trans-Technical, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, 1984).
Lockner, D. A. & Byerlee, J. D. in Proc. 2nd Conf. on Acoustic Emission/Microseismic Activity in Geol. Structures and Materials (eds Hardy, H. R. & Leighton, F. W.) 11–25 (Trans-Technical, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, 1980).
Lockner, D. A., Byerlee, J. D., Kuksenko, V., Ponomarev, A. & Sidorin, A. Fault Mechanics and Transport Properties of Rocks (eds Evans, B. & Wong, T.-F.) (Academic, London, in the press).
Locker, D. A. & Byerlee, J. D. Pure appl. Geophys. 116, 765–772 (1978).
Lockner, D. A., Walsh, J. B. & Byerlee, J. D. J. geophys. Res. 82, 5374–5378 (1977).
Rice, J. R. in Physics of the Earth's Interior (eds Dziewonski, A. M. & Boschi, E.) (Italian Physical Society and North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1980).
Rice, J. R. in Proc. 1st Int. Congress on Rockbursts and Seismicity in Mines, Johannesburg 1982 (eds Gay, N. C. & Wainwright, E. H.) 57–62 (Symp. Ser. No. 6, South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Johannesburg, 1984).
Von Seggern, D. Geophys. Res. Lett. 7, 637–640 (1980).
Jin, A. & Aki, K. J. geophys. Res. 91, 665–673 (1986).
Main, I. G. & Meredith, P. G. Tectonophysics 167, 273–283 (1989).
Weeks, J. D., Lockner, D. A. & Byerlee, J. D. Bull. seism. Soc. Am. 68, 333–341 (1978).
Lockner, D. A. & Byerlee, J. D. J. geophys. Res. 82, 2018–2026 (1977).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lockner, D., Byerlee, J., Kuksenko, V. et al. Quasi-static fault growth and shear fracture energy in granite. Nature 350, 39–42 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/350039a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/350039a0
This article is cited by
-
Investigation on acoustic emission characteristics of fault stick-slip under different lateral pressures
Scientific Reports (2024)
-
A Study on Mechanical Behavior of Intact Granite Through a Sound Simulation Using Flat-Jointed Contact
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (2024)
-
Experimental and Numerical Investigation on the Mechanical Behavior of Rock-Like Material with Complex Discrete Joints
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (2024)
-
Displaying quasi-brittle failure using avalanches: paper as a material model
International Journal of Fracture (2024)
-
Energy Budget of Brittle Fracturing in Granite Under Stress Relaxation and Creep
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (2024)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
