Energy Dissipation During Shear Along Experimental Rough Faults

Abstract The energy budget and the interplay between stable friction evolution and dynamic stick‐slips are tested here under continuous slip along rough faults. We conducted 34 direct‐shear experiments coupled with precise roughness measurements on diabase and limestone fault samples. The faults broad roughness ranges from highly rough and interlocked fractured interfaces to smooth polished surfaces. The analysis focuses on two slip phases: (a) the evolution of the shear strength of rough sample under stable, cumulative displacement; and (b) the dynamic of unstable stick‐slip sliding. We found that the breakdown work during frictional strength evolution increases with roughness increase across multiple scales. The diabase samples are more sensitive to roughness increase than limestone samples in terms of the breakdown work implied by frictional evolution. We attribute this increased diabase sensitivity with fault roughness to its higher bulk elasticity and not to the fault shear stiffness. The diabase faults displayed multiple periodic system‐size stick‐slips, and the measured stored energy during the preparatory stage were surprisingly independent of the fault roughness. This finding suggests that during the preparatory stage a balance between the intracycle fault stiffness and stress drop govern the stored energy magnitude. Further, this energy balance suggests that some interface conditioning occurs before the spontaneous slip overcomes a sticking barrier.