CRISTIAN SUTEANU, DOREL ZUGRAVESCU, FLORIN MUNTEANU
Institutul de Geodinamica "Sabba S. Stefanescu" al Academiei Romane,
Bucuresti
CRITICAL SLIP ALONG AN ACTIVE GEODYNAMIC FAULT.
DYNAMICS AT THE INTERFACE
(Abstract)
Experimental and theoretical studies led to a rigorous characterization of "structuring
by fragmentation", a phenomenon by which systems at different scales affected
by fragmentation are found to share important common properties from the point
of view of subsystem size distribution, fragments shapes and fragments size-position
correlation. The paper investigates the implications of these properties for
the dynamics along and active geodynamic fault, comprising rock fragments produced
and comminuted between rough surfaces in relative motion. Previous discrepancies
between theoretical considerations, laboratory results and measurements in
the field are discussed and found to rely also on properties of structuring
by fragmentation, that were not considered or not evaluated properly before.
The paper facilitates a more fruitful approach to the dynamics at the interface
involving complex systems in a critical state.
Key words: geodynamics, critical slip, structuring by fragmentation, active
fault.