Mechanical data of simulated basalt-built faults from rotary shear and direct shear experiments

Giacomel, Piercarlo; Ruggieri, Roberta; Scuderi, Marco Maria; Spagnuolo, Elena; Di Toro, Giulio; Collettini, Cristiano;

2021-04 || GFZ Data Services

Here we report the raw data of the friction experiments carried out on basalt-built simulated faults defined by rock-on-rock contacts and powdered gouge. The experiments were specifically designed to investigate the role of fault microstructure on the frictional properties of basalts and the fault slip stability, and were conducted with the rotary-shear apparatus (SHIVA) and the biaxial deformation apparatus (BRAVA), hosted at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Rome.

Simulated faults were sheared at constant normal stress from 4 to 30 MPa. In SHIVA experiments, we deformed samples at constant slip velocity of 10 μm/s up to 56 mm net slip. In BRAVA tests we performed a sequence of velocity steps (0.1 to 300 μm/s), followed by slide-hold-slide tests (30-3000 s holds; V=10 μm/s slides).

Our main results highlight the frictionally strong nature of basalt faults and show opposite friction velocity dependence upon the velocity upsteps: while fault gouges exhibit velocity weakening behavior with increasing normal stress and sliding velocity, bare rock surfaces transition to velocity strengthening behavior as we approach higher slip velocities. The experiments setup and data are further described in the manuscript “Frictional properties of basalt experimental faults and implications for volcano-tectonic settings and geo-energy sites” to which these data are supplementary material.

Originally assigned keywords

Corresponding MSL vocabulary keywords

MSL enriched keywords

Originally assigned sub domains
  • rock and melt physics
MSL enriched sub domains
  • rock and melt physics
  • analogue modelling of geologic processes
  • microscopy and tomography
Source http://doi.org/10.5880/fidgeo.2020.035
Source publisher GFZ Data Services
DOI 10.5880/fidgeo.2020.035
License CC BY 4.0
Authors
  • Spagnuolo, Elena
  • 0000-0002-1377-5812
  • National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Rome, Italy

References
  • Marone, C. (1998). LABORATORY-DERIVED FRICTION LAWS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO SEISMIC FAULTING. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 26(1), 643–696. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.26.1.643
  • 10.1146/annurev.earth.26.1.643
  • References

  • Scott, D. R., Marone, C. J., & Sammis, C. G. (1994). The apparent friction of granular fault gouge in sheared layers. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 99(B4), 7231–7246. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/93jb03361
  • 10.1029/93jb03361
  • References

  • Giacomel, P., Ruggieri, R., Scuderi, M. M., Spagnuolo, E., Di Toro, G., & Collettini, C. (2021). Frictional properties of basalt experimental faults and implications for volcano-tectonic settings and geo-energy sites. Tectonophysics, 811, 228883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2021.228883
  • 10.1016/j.tecto.2021.228883
  • IsSupplementTo
Contact
  • Piercarlo Giacomel
  • Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
  • piercarlo.giacomel@uniroma1.it
Citation Giacomel, P., Ruggieri, R., Scuderi, M. M., Spagnuolo, E., Di Toro, G., & Collettini, C. (2021). Mechanical data of simulated basalt-built faults from rotary shear and direct shear experiments [Data set]. GFZ Data Services. https://doi.org/10.5880/FIDGEO.2020.035