Description du projet
Remettre en question nos connaissances sur les séismes
Les événements sismiques tectoniques – les séismes – résultent de la libération soudaine d’énergie stockée (charge de faille) le long d’un plan de faille. Cette énergie peut être le produit d’une compression (renforcement de la charge) ou d’une extension (c’est-à-dire un affaiblissement de la charge) aux frontières entre les plaques tectoniques. Les deux déforment, différemment, les roches entourant le plan de faille à mesure que l’énergie s’accumule. Les connaissances sur l’affaiblissement de la charge sont plus limitées, c’est pourquoi le projet SHEAR, financé par l’UE, entreprendra une étude en laboratoire à l’aide d’équipements de déformation et de techniques acoustiques. L’intégration des résultats aux modèles microphysiques et aux données des études de terrain facilitera les futures expérimentations à grande échelle. En définitive, le projet permettra de mieux comprendre les processus des failles tectoniques.
Objectif
The extent to which earthquake phenomena can be accurately assessed ultimately depends on how well the underlying physical processes are understood. Earthquake physics is primarily controlled by fault frictional properties and fluid pressure, which have been widely tested in laboratory rock deformation experiments. During the last 50 years, these experiments have provided fundamental contributions to our understanding of earthquake physics. However, in most experiments, the fault is loaded toward earthquake-slip under constant effective normal stress or via an increase in effective normal stress, i.e. load-strengthening. Nonetheless, numerous natural faults are affected by a reduction in effective normal stress during tectonic loading, i.e. load-weakening, and this condition is dominant in induced earthquakes due to fluid-injections in modern energy production. Further, along mature fault zones characterized by a thick damage zone and fault core, load-weakening likely promotes fault dilation, instead of compaction, with strong implications for fault hydro-mechanical behaviour. With SHEAR, I propose to fill this knowledge gap via laboratory experiments designed specifically to investigate the influence of loading path, and in particular the load-weakening path in fault physics, taking advantage of a world-class deformation apparatus. Laboratory results will be integrated with acoustic techniques to shed light on the physical processes at play and inform microphysical models that, coupled with field studies, will allow for the upscaling of experiments and provide a broader comprehensive picture of tectonic faulting. For the SHEAR action, the experience I acquired during my Post-Doc at EPFL (Switzerland) will be fundamental. The vibrant research environment in Sapienza will give me the possibility to acquire new scientific and transferable skills, ensuring me a competitive scientific profile to successfully apply for positions in academia, public and private sectors.
Champ scientifique
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Régime de financement
MSCA-PF - MSCA-PFCoordinateur
00185 Roma
Italie