Open AccessEarthquake prediction: a new physical basis
Author(s) -
Crampin Staurt,
Evans Russ,
Atkinson Barry K.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1984.tb05030.x
Subject(s) - dilatant , anisotropy , geology , seismology , seismic anisotropy , shear (geology) , earthquake prediction , stress (linguistics) , focal mechanism , seismic wave , geotechnical engineering , induced seismicity , geophysics , petrology , physics , linguistics , philosophy , quantum mechanics , mantle (geology)
Summary. Subcritical crack growth in the laboratory occurs slowly but progressively in solids subjected to low stresses at low strain rates. The cracks tend to grow parallel to the maximum compressive stress so that, when this stress is aligned over a large enough region, the cracks will also be aligned and possess effective seismic anisotropy. It is suggested that such subcritical crack growth produces extensive‐dilatancy anisotropy (EDA) throughout earth‐quake preparation zones. This process is a possible driving mechanism for earthquake precursors observed at substantial distances from impending focal zones, and provides, in the shear‐wave splitting which has been observed in several seismic regions, a possible technique for monitoring the build‐up of stress before earthquakes.