近日，以色列希伯来大学Fineberg, Jay团队提出了实验室地震中同时发生的慢速和快速摩擦破裂。相关论文于2025年4月14日发表在《自然—物理学》杂志上。

摩擦运动是由界面破坏引发的，界面破坏是由破裂介导的，类似于地震，通常会加速到接近音速。然而，在实验室和自然断层环境中都可能发生缓慢破裂，但驱动它们的机制尚不完全清楚。尽管断裂力学很好地描述了快速摩擦破裂，但它与缓慢破裂的相关性尚不确定。

研究组通过实验表明，极慢和极快的破裂——分别在厘米/秒和公里/秒的尺度上——都可以在同一摩擦界面内重复传播。研究组证明，界面阻力和断裂能的加载速率和速度依赖性之间的动态平衡使缓慢断裂能够在非常低的施加剪切应力下成核和传播。在相同的界面中，也会发生快速破裂，但只有当它们在更高的应力条件下成核成为可能时。结果发现，断裂力学很好地描述了这两种破裂类型的动力学和结构。它们的存在是界面性质和破裂速度之间密切相互作用的结果。这些结果为断层动力学和相关摩擦运动提供了关键见解。

附：英文原文

Title: Concurrent slow and fast frictional ruptures in laboratory earthquakes

Author: Shi, Songlin, Fineberg, Jay

Issue&Volume: 2025-04-14

Abstract: Frictional motion is initiated by interface failure that is mediated by ruptures—akin to earthquakes—that typically accelerate to near-sonic velocities. However, slow ruptures may occur in both laboratory and natural fault settings, but the mechanisms that drive them are not fully understood. Although fracture mechanics describes fast frictional ruptures well, its relevance to slow ruptures is uncertain. Here we experimentally show that both extremely slow and fast ruptures—on scales of cms–1 and kms–1, respectively—can repeatably propagate within the same frictional interface. We demonstrate that a dynamic equilibrium between the loading rates and velocity dependencies of both interface resistance and fracture energy enables slow ruptures to nucleate and propagate at very low applied shear stresses. In the same interfaces, fast ruptures also occur, but only when their nucleation becomes possible under higher stress conditions. We find that the dynamics and structure of both rupture classes are well described by fracture mechanics. Their existence results from a close interplay between the interface properties and rupture velocity. These results provide key insights into fault dynamics and related frictional motion.

DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-02871-3

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-02871-3