About the project
Our main question is how to quantify the dynamics of microfractures in rocks to predict the onset of major rupture and earthquake nucleation.
We have developed a combined experimental and numerical approach to unravel how ruptures nucleate in rock samples, how earthquake may damage wall rocks in natural earthquakes, and whether precursory signals exist that would indicate the propagation of an earthquake before it happens. Using dynamic X-ray tomography imaging at the European Synchrotron Facility and a home-designed rock deformation apparatus, the Hades rig, we imaged in 4D the evolution of microfractures in rocks before system-size brittle failure.
These microfractures represent precursory signals to the main rupture. Our experiments produce large amounts of data (more than 150 TB so far) and we have developed novel data processing techniques to follow the evolution of strain in a sample during deformation. Among these techniques, we have developed several machine learning workflows to unravel which parameters control the onset of system-size failure in rocks.
Financing
The Research Council of Norway (project HADES, #250661, 2016-2020).
Cooperation
- The Njord Center, University of Oslo, Norway
- University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
- University of Maryland, USA
- Temple University, Pennsylvania, USA
- University of Southern California, USA