Rough faults, distributed weakening, and off‐fault deformation

Abstract

We report systematic spatial variations in fault rocks along nonplanar strike‐slip faults cross‐cutting the Lake Edison Granodiorite, Sierra Nevada, California (Sierran wavy fault) and Lobbia outcrops of the Adamello Batholith in the Italian Alps (Lobbia wavy fault). In the case of the Sierran fault, pseudotachylyte formed at contractional fault bends, where it is found as thin (1–2 mm) fault‐parallel veins. Epidote and chlorite developed in the same seismic context as the pseudotachylyte and are especially abundant in extensional fault bends. We argue that the presence of fluids, as illustrated by this example, does not necessarily preclude the development of frictional melt. In the case of the Lobbia fault, pseudotachylyte thickness varies along the length of the fault, but the pseudotachylyte veins thicken and pool in extensional bends. We conduct a quantitative analysis of fault roughness, microcrack distribution, stress, and friction along the Lobbia fault. Numerical modeling results show that opening in extensional bends and localized thermal weakening in contractional bends counteract resistance encountered by fault waviness, resulting in an overall weaker fault than suggested by the corresponding static friction coefficient. The models also predict static stress redistribution around bends in the faults which is consistent with distribution of microcracks, indicating significant elastic and inelastic strain energy is dissipated into the wall rocks due to nonplanar fault geometry. Together these observations suggest that damage and energy dissipation occurs along the entire nonplanar fault during slip, rather than being confined to the region close to the dynamically propagating crack tip.