High-pressure mechanical instability in rocks
At a confining pressure of a few kilobars, deformation of many sedimentary rocks, altered mafic rocks, porous volcanic rocks, and sand is ductile, in that instabilities leading to audible elastic shocks are absent. At pressures of 7 to 10 kilobars, however, unstable faulting and stick-slip in certain of these rocks was observed. This high pressure-low temperature instability might be responsible for earthquakes in deeply buried sedimentary or volcanic sequences.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 1969 |
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Title | High-pressure mechanical instability in rocks |
Authors | J. D. Byerlee, W.F. Brace |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Science |
Index ID | 70010089 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |