Analytical Solution for the Frictional Anisotropy of a Corrugated Fault

Abstract Fault surfaces exhibit anisotropic roughness, with elongate ridges and grooves aligned in the slip direction. When inactive faults are reactivated under a new stress regime, induced by natural processes or human activities, the maximum resolved shear stress is likely to act obliquely to inh...

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Main Authors: Martin P. J. Schöpfer, Conrad Childs
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-04-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114281
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author Martin P. J. Schöpfer
Conrad Childs
author_facet Martin P. J. Schöpfer
Conrad Childs
author_sort Martin P. J. Schöpfer
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Fault surfaces exhibit anisotropic roughness, with elongate ridges and grooves aligned in the slip direction. When inactive faults are reactivated under a new stress regime, induced by natural processes or human activities, the maximum resolved shear stress is likely to act obliquely to inherited surface corrugations increasing the fault shear strength. Analytical solutions for the shear strength of a corrugated fault, idealized as a frictional serrated surface of infinite extent separating rigid blocks under any shear stress direction, have been derived. The solutions show that the shear strength increases with increasing angle between the corrugation axes and the shear stress direction, and with fault roughness. Further, the fault slip direction may deviate significantly from the maximum resolved shear stress direction toward the corrugation axes. Finally, the reactivation potential does not only depend on stress state, fault orientation and friction, but also on surface roughness and the orientation of the corrugations.
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spelling doaj-art-15a699b2738249e9862812880c8f2f0c2025-08-20T03:44:25ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-04-01528n/an/a10.1029/2024GL114281Analytical Solution for the Frictional Anisotropy of a Corrugated FaultMartin P. J. Schöpfer0Conrad Childs1Department of Geology University of Vienna Vienna AustriaFault Analysis Group School of Earth Sciences University College Dublin Dublin IrelandAbstract Fault surfaces exhibit anisotropic roughness, with elongate ridges and grooves aligned in the slip direction. When inactive faults are reactivated under a new stress regime, induced by natural processes or human activities, the maximum resolved shear stress is likely to act obliquely to inherited surface corrugations increasing the fault shear strength. Analytical solutions for the shear strength of a corrugated fault, idealized as a frictional serrated surface of infinite extent separating rigid blocks under any shear stress direction, have been derived. The solutions show that the shear strength increases with increasing angle between the corrugation axes and the shear stress direction, and with fault roughness. Further, the fault slip direction may deviate significantly from the maximum resolved shear stress direction toward the corrugation axes. Finally, the reactivation potential does not only depend on stress state, fault orientation and friction, but also on surface roughness and the orientation of the corrugations.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114281
spellingShingle Martin P. J. Schöpfer
Conrad Childs
Analytical Solution for the Frictional Anisotropy of a Corrugated Fault
Geophysical Research Letters
title Analytical Solution for the Frictional Anisotropy of a Corrugated Fault
title_full Analytical Solution for the Frictional Anisotropy of a Corrugated Fault
title_fullStr Analytical Solution for the Frictional Anisotropy of a Corrugated Fault
title_full_unstemmed Analytical Solution for the Frictional Anisotropy of a Corrugated Fault
title_short Analytical Solution for the Frictional Anisotropy of a Corrugated Fault
title_sort analytical solution for the frictional anisotropy of a corrugated fault
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114281
work_keys_str_mv AT martinpjschopfer analyticalsolutionforthefrictionalanisotropyofacorrugatedfault
AT conradchilds analyticalsolutionforthefrictionalanisotropyofacorrugatedfault