23.11. Role of Elastic Rebound in Fault Mechanics

Try these first

1. 1.

   What happens during the stick phase of fault mechanics?

   Hint

   Think about what occurs before a quake.

2. 2.

   Define a locked fault.

   Hint

   What's happening to the energy over time?

3. 3.

   What defines a locked fault?

   • A fault that continuously slips
   • A fault that does not move for a long time
   • A fault that always generates earthquakes

   Hint

   Consider what happens when things are stuck.

4. 4.

   True or False: Creeping faults store significant energy for large earthquakes.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Think about their continuous slipping behavior.

5. 5.

   An engineer observes a fault that has just begun to creep continuously after decades of being locked. Predict how this change might affect earthquake risk in the area.

   Hint

   Evaluate how the energy release pattern changes over time.

6. 6.

   Calculate the stored energy in a locked fault segment given its length, width, and their respective stress and strain values.

   Hint

   Check if the volume is calculated as length times width times thickness.