Dynamic friction in sheared fault gouge: implications of acoustic vibration on triggering and slow slip†
Friction and deformation in granular fault gouge are among various dynamic interactions associated with seismic phenomena that have important implications for slip mechanisms on earthquake faults. To this end, we propose a mechanistic model of granular fault gouge subject to acoustic vibrations and shear deformation. The grain-scale dynamics is described by the Shear-Transformation-Zone theory of granular flow, which accounts for irreversible plastic deformation in terms of flow defects whose density is governed by an effective temperature.
