A model for stress and strain accumulation in strike slip earthquake faults is presented in which a finite width cuboidal fault region is embedded between two cuboidal tectonic plates. Elasto-plastic continuum constitutive equations model the gouge in the fault and the tectonic plates are linear elastic solids obeying the generalised Hooke's law. The model predicts a velocity field which is comparable to surface deformations. The plastic behaviour of the fault material allows the velocities in the tectonic plate to increase to values which are independent of the distance from the fault. Both of the non-trivial stress and strain components accumulate most significantly in the vicinity of the fault. The release of these strains during a dynamic earthquake event would produce the most severe deformations at the fault which is consistent with observations and the notion of an epicenter. The accumulations in the model, however, are at depths larger than would be expected. Plastic strains build up most significantly at the base of the fault which is in yield for the longest length of time but additionally is subject to larger temperatures which makes the material more ductile. The speed of propagation of the elasto-plastic boundary is calculated and its acceleration towards the surface of the fault may be indicative of a dynamic earthquake type event.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:632221 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Crooks, Matthew Stuart |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/application-of-an-elastoplastic-continuum-model-to-problems-in-geophysics(56bc2269-3eb2-47f9-8482-b62e8e053b76).html |
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