The Role of Phylosilicates in Seismogenesis: Lessons Learned from Experiments on Serpentinite
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Eric Burdette
Dept. of Earth, Environ. and Planetary Sci., Brown University
- Date & Time
- Location
- Online-only seminar via Microsoft Teams
- Host
- David Lockner
- Summary
Many earthquakes occur on fault materials altered by water, including ruptures along subduction megathrusts. The mechanical behavior of these hydrated materials is difficult to characterize due to strong anisotropy, and temperature limits imposed by dehydration reactions. Here I show results of experiments designed to characterize creep of antigorite serpentinite at low strain rates and the role of dehydration reactions in promoting rapid failure at in-situ subduction conditions. Low strain rate creep experiments require higher accuracy than previous solid confining medium deformation methods which required design of several new assemblies incorporating liquid hydraulic oil, liquid solders, and liquid salts into the pressure vessel 1 GPa. Dehydration reactions are sensitive to stored energy, so I show how modified machine stiffness allowed investigation of the feedback between rate-dependent friction, dissipative heating, and reaction weakening. The recovered deformation textures hint at feedbacks with other mechanical weakening mechanisms that can determine slip style.