One moderate- to large-magnitude earthquake (M > 6) nucleates in Earth's crust every three days on average, but the geological record of ancient fault slip at meters-per-second seismic velocities (as opposed to subseismic slow-slip creep) remains debated because of the lack of established fault-zone evidence of seismic slip. Here we show that the irreversible temperature-dependent transformation of carbonaceous material (CM, a constituent of many fault gouges) into graphite is a reliable tracer of seismic fault slip. We sheared CM-bearing fault rocks in the laboratory at just above subseismic and at seismic velocities under both water-rich and water-deficient conditions and modeled the temperature evolution with slip. By means of micro-Raman spectroscopy and focused-ion beam transmission electron microscopy, we detected graphite grains similar to those found in the principal slip zone of the A.D. 2008 Wenchuan (M_w 7.9) earthquake (southeast Tibet) only in experiments conducted at seismic velocities. The experimental evidence presented here suggests that high-temperature pulses associated with seismic slip induce graphitization of CM. Importantly, the occurrence of graphitized fault-zone CM may allow us to ascertain the seismogenic potential of faults in areas worldwide with incomplete historical earthquake catalogues.

Fault mirrors (FMs) are naturally polished and glossy fault slip surfaces that can record seismic deformation at shallow depths. They are important for investigating the processes controlling dynamic fault slip. We characterize FMs in borehole samples from the hanging wall damage zone of the active Hsiaotungshi reverse fault, Taiwan. Here we report the first documented occurrence of the combination of silica gel and melt patches coating FMs, with the silica gel resembling those observed on experimentally formed FMs that were cataclastically generated. In addition, the melt patches, which are unambiguous indicators of coseismic slip, suggest that the natural FMs were produced at seismic rates, presumably resulting from flash heating at asperities on the slip surfaces. Since flash heating is efficient at small slip, we propose that these natural FMs represent fossils of small earthquakes, formed in either coseismic faulting and folding or aftershock deformation in the active Taiwan fold‐and‐thrust belt.

Understanding the stress state before and after an earthquake is essential to study how stress on faults evolves during the seismic cycle. This study integrates wellbore failure analysis, laboratory experiments, and edge dislocation model to study the stress state before and after the Chi‐Chi earthquake. The post‐earthquake in‐situ stress state observed along boreholes of the Taiwan Chelungpu‐fault Drilling Project (TCDP) is heterogeneous due to lithological variations. Along the borehole, we observe that drilling‐induced tensile fractures are only present in sandstones, whereas breakouts are mostly present in silt‐rich rocks. Laboratory experiments on TCDP cores also show that tensile and compressive strength are weaker in sandstones than in silt‐rich rocks. These observations imply that both maximum and minimum horizontal principal stresses are higher in silt‐rich intervals. Extended leak‐off tests in the TCDP borehole also show lower minimum horizontal stress in sand‐rich intervals, consistent with the above observations. We combine these observations to estimate a profile of stress magnitudes along the well which explains the variability of stress states found in previous studies. The stress heterogeneity we observed underlines the importance of acknowledging the spatial scale that the stress data represent. We then use an edge dislocation model constrained by GPS surface displacements obtained during Chi‐Chi earthquake to calculate the coseismic stress changes. Our inferred pre‐earthquake stress magnitudes, obtained by subtracting the coseismic stress change from the post‐earthquake stress, suggest subcritical stress state before the earthquake despite the large displacements observed during the Chi‐Chi earthquake in the region where TCDP encountered the fault.

To unravel fault zone properties, high-resolution imaging and probing are pivotal. Here we present a comprehensive study utilizing Distributed Dynamic Strain Sensing of a 3D array of optical fiber with a surface-to-depth installation, traversing an active fault zone at depth, combined with a geological analysis of drilled cores. We identify an asymmetric fault zone with a narrow fault core, exhibiting a notable amplification in strain rate across a broad-band frequency range, which is attributed to the presence of weak gouge material within a much stronger host rock. This feature heightens responsiveness of the weak fault zone with low rigidity to ground motion, and intensifies strain from both nearby and remote seismic events. We demonstrate that optical fiber facilitates long-term monitoring of ground motion amplification with high spatial resolution, thus indicating where strain and deformation accumulate through repeating ruptures. This progress is pivotal to the understanding of the role of low rigidity and changes thereof within fault gouge material.

Experimental results demonstrate that amorphous materials can be generated by frictional sliding at a wide range of conditions and that once formed the frictional strength of the fault is reduced. Nevertheless, amorphous materials have not been described in many natural faults, and their importance in natural systems is not well understood. We have identified amorphous materials within a 3‐mm‐thick slip zone (i.e., narrow band) in the Chihshang Fault, Taiwan, as well as within a submicrometer thick band in a distributed network of scaly clays. The scaly clays resemble those developed in other faults that demonstrably accommodated slow creep, and they also impart very low permeability implying that fluid‐related alteration (which could result in amorphization) will be inefficient. For this reason, and because of its throughgoing nature and position within a deforming zone, we infer a shear‐related origin for the amorphous materials. Therefore, amorphous materials can be observed in near‐surface environments because they have been formed during recent deformation under limited fluid‐circulation circumstances. The narrow slip zone containing amorphous materials is throughgoing and is interpreted to have acted as a frictional interface that accommodated brittle deformation at the macroscopic scale, whereas the surrounding mélange accommodated distributed “ductile” shear. The formation of amorphous materials therefore typifies the “mixed‐mode” style of deformation in this creeping fault zone.

In recent works on the determination of graphitization of carbonaceous materials (CM) within the principal slip zone (PSZ) of the Longmenshan fault (China), we demonstrated that the formation of graphite, resulted from strain and frictional heating, could be evidence of past seismic slip. Here we utilize Raman Spectroscopy of CM (RSCM) on the CM-bearing gouges in the fault zone of the Longmenshan fault belt, at the borehole depth of 760 m (FZ760) from the Wenchuan earthquake Fault Scientific Drilling project-1 (WFSD-1), to quantitatively characterize CM and further retrieve ancient fault deformation information in the active fault. RSCM shows that graphitization of CM is intense in the fault core with respect to the damage zone, with the graphitized carbon resembling those observed on experimentally formed graphite that was frictionally generated. Importantly, compared to the recognized active fault zone of the Longmenshan fault, the RSCM of measured CM-rich gouge shows a higher degree of graphitization, likely derived from high-temperature-perturbation faulting events. It implies that FZ760 accommodated numerous single-event displacement and/or at higher normal stresses and/or in the absence of pore fluid and/or along a more localized slip surface(s). Because graphite is a well-known lubricant, we surmise that the presence of the higher degree graphitized CM within FZ760 will reduce the fault strength and inefficiently accumulate tectonic stress during the seismic cycle at the current depth, and further infer a plausible mechanism for fault propagation at the borehole depth of 590 m during the Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake.