Geologists generally think that creep happens on faults that slice through particularly slippery rocks. But a recent study co-authored by Professor Victor Tsai reports that the overall structure of a fault network might also dictate why some faults creep rather than intermittently slip dramatically.
Findings published in Nature by a team of Brown-led researchers challenge traditional beliefs about the cause of earthquakes and suggest that it depends not on friction, but on the ways faults are aligned.
Associate Professor Victor Tsai has published a new article in GeoScienceWorld's Seismological Research Letters about the challenges with available Earth imaging techniques, and explores opportunities for improvement.