FRICTIONAL PROPERTIES OF A NATURAL FAULT GOUGE FROM DRILLED CORES IN THE LONGMENSHAN FAULT ZONE CUTTING GRANITIC ROCK

In this paper, we report friction experiments performed on natural fault gouge samples embedded in granitic rock from drilled core by a project entitled "the Longmenshan Fault Shallow Drilling(LMFD)". Compared with other natural fault gouge, this yellow-greenish gouge(YGG)is dominantly chlorite-rich. The maximum content of chlorite reaches 47%in the YGG. To understand the frictional properties of the YGG sample, experiments were performed at constant confining pressure of 130MPa, with constant pore pressure of 50MPa and at different temperatures from 25℃ to 150℃. The experiments aim to address the frictional behavior of the YGG under shallow, upper crustal pressure, and temperature conditions. Compared with previous studies of natural gouge, our results show that the YGG is stronger and shows a steady state friction coefficient of 0.47~0.51. Comparison with previous studies of natural gouge with similar content of clay minerals indicates a sequence of strengths of different clay minerals:chlorite > illite > smectite. At temperatures up to 150℃ hence depths up to~8km in the Longmenshan region, the YGG shows stable velocity-strengthening behavior at shallow crustal conditions. Combined with the fact of strong direct velocity effect, i.e., (a-b)/a>0.5, faults cutting the present clastic lithology up to~8km depth in the Longmenshan fault zone(LFZ)are likely to offer stable sliding resistance, damping co-seismic rupture propagating from below at not-too-high slip rates. However, as the fault gouge generally has low permeability, co-seismic weakening through thermal pressurization may occur at high slip rates(>0.05m/s), leading to additional hazards.     

The frictional behavior of lizardite and antigorite serpentinites: Experiments,constitutive models,and implications for natural faults

Laboratory studies of the frictional behavior of rocks can provide important information about the strength and sliding stability of natural faults. We have conducted friction experiments on antigorite and lizardite serpentinites, rocks common to both continental and oceanic crustal faults. We conducted both velocity-step tests and timed-hold tests on bare surfaces and gouge layers of serpentinite at room temperature. We find that the coefficient of friction of lizardite serpentinite is quite low (0.15–0.35) and could explain the apparent low stresses observed on crustal transform faults, while that of antigorite serpentinite is comparable to other crustal rocks (0.50–0.85). The frictional behavior of both types of serpentinite is well described by a two-mechanism model combining state-variable-dominated behavior at high slip velocities and flow-dominated behavior at low velocities. The two-mechanism model is supported by data from velocity-step tests and timed-hold tests. The low velocity behavior of serpentinite is strongly rate strengthening and should result in stable fault creep on natural faults containing either antigorite or lizardite serpentinite.     

Internal structures and high-velocity frictional properties of a bedding-parallel carbonate fault at Xiaojiaqiao outcrop activated by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

This paper reports internal structures of a bedding-parallel fault in Permian limestone at Xiaojiaqiao outcrop that was moved by about 0.5 m during the 2008 M_W7.9 Wenchuan earthquake. The fault is located about 3 km to the south from the middle part of Yingxiu-Beichuan fault, a major fault in the Longmenshan fault system that was moved during the earthquake. The outcrop is also located at Anxian transfer zone between the northern and central segments of Yingxiu-Beichuan fault where fault system is complex. Thus the fault is an example of subsidiary faults activated by Wenchuan earthquake. The fault has a strike of 243° or N63°E and a dip of 38°NW and is nearly optimally oriented for thrust motion, in contrast to high-angle coseismic faults at most places. Surface outcrop and two shallow drilling studies reveal that the fault zone is several centimeters wide at most and that the coseismic slip zone during Wenchuan earthquake is about 1 mm thick. Fault zone contains foliated cataclasite, fault breccia, black gouge and yellowish gouge. Many clasts of foliated cataclasite and black gouge contained in fault breccia indicate multiple slip events along this fault. But fossils on both sides of fault do not indicate clear age difference and overall displacement along this fault should not be large. We also report results from high-velocity friction experiments conducted on yellowish gouge from the fault zone using a rotary shear low to high-velocity frictional testing apparatus. Dry experiments at normal stresses of 0.4 to 1.8 MPa and at slip rates of 0.08 to 1.35 m/s reveal dramatic slip weakening from the peak friction coefficient of around 0.6 to very low steady-state friction coefficient of 0.1-0.2. Slip weakening parameters of this carbonate fault zone are similar to those of clayey fault gouge from Yingxiu-Beichuan fault at Hongkou outcrop and from Pingxi fault zone. Our experimental result will provide a condition for triggering movement of subsidiary faults or off-fault damage during a large earthquake.     

白云母对岩盐断层带摩擦速度依赖性影响的实验研究

为更好地理解层状硅酸盐对断层强度、滑动速度依赖性及地震活动特征的影响,利用双轴摩擦实验对含白云母岩盐断层带在干燥及含水条件下摩擦的速度依赖性进行了实验研究,并观测了摩擦滑动过程中的声发射,分析了断层带的微观结构.实验结果表明,干燥条件下含白云母岩盐断层带在0.1 ～ 100μm/s的速度范围内表现为黏滑和速度弱化,增大σ2会使断层带从速度弱化向速度强化转化,速度依赖性转换出现在0.1 μm/s,其中断层滑动表现为稳滑或应力释放时间较长的黏滑事件;含水条件下含白云母岩盐断层带在0.05 ～0.01μm/s的速度范围内表现为速度强化,0.1 ～10μm/s的速度范围内表现为速度弱化,50～100μm/s的速度范围内又转换为速度强化行为.含白云母岩盐断层带在干燥条件下一次黏滑伴随一个或一丛声发射事件,而在含水条件下与稳滑相对应,滑动过程中并未记录到声发射事件.显微结构观察表明,速度弱化域的主要变形机制是岩盐颗粒的脆性破裂和局部化的滑动;干燥条件下,速度强化域的主要变形机制是岩盐颗粒的均匀破裂;含水条件下2个速度强化域对应不同的微观机制,高速域的速度强化受控于岩盐颗粒在白云母相互连结形成的网状结构上的滑动及其均匀碎裂作用,而低速域的速度强化还受岩盐的压溶作用控制.通过与岩盐断层带摩擦实验结果对比可知,白云母的存在对于燥岩盐断层带摩擦滑动方式和速度依赖性没有显著影响,而在含水条件下白云母的存在使得岩盐断层带滑动趋于稳定.实验结果为分析含层状硅酸盐断层的强度和稳定性提供了依据.此外,在速度依赖性转换域上观察到的应力缓慢释放的现象进一步证实了在岩盐断层带摩擦滑动过程中观察到的现象,这对慢地震机制研究具有参考意义.     

龙门山断裂带金河磷矿剖面断层泥的低速至高速摩擦性质研究

本文对龙门山断裂带金河磷矿浅钻岩芯中的三种断层泥开展了低速到高速摩擦滑动的实验研究,并对实验变形样品开展了BET比表面积研究.摩擦实验在干燥和孔隙水压条件下开展,速率范围涵盖20 μm·s^-1~1.4 m·s^-1.实验结果显示,三种断层泥在干燥条件下的摩擦性质差别不大,但在孔隙水压条件下,三者的中低速摩擦强度与层状硅酸盐矿物的种类而非总含量紧密相关,蒙脱石和伊利石相比绿泥石更能有效地弱化断层.三种断层泥在孔隙水压条件下存在中低速率域的速度强化,暗示着对断层的加速滑动存在一定的阻碍作用.孔隙水压下,黄绿色和灰绿色断层泥的初始动态弱化非常迅速并伴随断层泥层的瞬时扩容,凹凸体急剧加热导致的局部热压作用可能是造成这种力学行为的物理机制.在经历高速滑动之后,三种断层泥在干、湿条件下的BET比表面积都显著降低,暗示着可能发生了颗粒烧结.中低速域内,孔隙水的存在使得断层泥呈现分散式的剪切变形,BET比表面积的增加因此比干燥条件下更加明显.对表面能的估算表明,颗粒磨碎所消耗的能量至多不超过摩擦力做功的8%,暗示着断层作用中颗粒磨碎所占的能量比例较低.     

Simulation of the Micro-physics of Rocks Using LSMearth

-- The particle-based Lattice Solid Model (LSM) was developed to provide a basis to study the physics of rocks and the nonlinear dynamics of earthquakes (M0ra and Place, 1994; Place and Mora, 1999). A new modular and flexible LSM approach has been developed that allows different micro-physics to be easily included in or removed from the model. The approach provides a virtual laboratory where numerical experiments can easily be set up and all measurable quantities visualised. The proposed approach provides a means to simulate complex phenomena such as fracturing or localisation processes, and enables the effect of different micro-physics on macroscopic behaviour to be studied. The initial 2-D model is extended to allow three-dimensional simulations to be performed and particles of different sizes to be specified. Numerical bi-axial compression experiments under different confining pressure are used to calibrate the model. By tuning the different microscopic parameters (such as coefficient of friction, microscopic strength and distribution of grain sizes), the macroscopic strength of the material and can be adjusted to be in agreement with laboratory experiments, and the orientation of fractures is consistent with the theoretical value predicted based on Mohr-Coulomb diagram. Simulations indicate that 3-D numerical models have different macroscopic properties than in 2-D and, hence, the model must be recalibrated for 3-D simulations. These numerical experiments illustrate that the new approach is capable of simulating typical rock fracture behaviour. The new model provides a basis to investigate nucleation, rupture and slip pulse propagation in complex fault zones without the previous model limitations of a regular low-level surface geometry and being restricted to two-dimensions.     

海原断裂带断层泥摩擦特性的研究

用双剪法对海原断裂带5个点的13种断层泥的摩擦滑动特征进行的实验研究表明,海原断裂带的断层泥的存在有助于消除粘滑与增大摩擦强度,五个点断层泥的摩擦系数平均值分别是0.760(景泰),0.728(哈思山),0.669(大沟门),0.644(剌儿沟),0.684(蔡祥堡)。     

Parallel 3-D Simulation of a Fault Gouge Using the Lattice Solid Model

Despite the insight gained from 2-D particle models, and given that the dynamics of crustal faults occur in 3-D space, the question remains, how do the 3-D fault gouge dynamics differ from those in 2-D? Traditionally, 2-D modeling has been preferred over 3-D simulations because of the computational cost of solving 3-D problems. However, modern high performance computing architectures, combined with a parallel implementation of the Lattice Solid Model (LSM), provide the opportunity to explore 3-D fault micro-mechanics and to advance understanding of effective constitutive relations of fault gouge layers. In this paper, macroscopic friction values from 2-D and 3-D LSM simulations, performed on an SGI Altix 3700 super-cluster, are compared. Two rectangular elastic blocks of bonded particles, with a rough fault plane and separated by a region of randomly sized non-bonded gouge particles, are sheared in opposite directions by normally-loaded driving plates. The results demonstrate that the gouge particles in the 3-D models undergo significant out-of-plane motion during shear. The 3-D models also exhibit a higher mean macroscopic friction than the 2-D models for varying values of interparticle friction. 2-D LSM gouge models have previously been shown to exhibit accelerating energy release in simulated earthquake cycles, supporting the Critical Point hypothesis. The 3-D models are shown to also display accelerating energy release, and good fits of power law time-to-failure functions to the cumulative energy release are obtained.     

Finite Element Analysis of a Sandwich Friction Experiment Model of Rocks

-- Sandwich friction experiments are one of the most widely used standard methods for measuring the frictional behavior between rocks. A finite element code for modeling the nonlinear friction contact between elastoplastic bodies has been developed and extended to analyze the sandwich friction experiment model with a rate- and state-dependent friction law. The influences of prescribed slip velocity and variation of movement direction and state on the friction coefficient, the relative slip velocity, the normal contact force, the frictional force, the critical frictional force and the transition of stick-slip state between the deformable rocks are thoroughly investigated, respectively. The calculated results demonstrate the usefulness of this code for simulating the friction behavior between rocks.     

Thermal-mechanical Coupling in Shear Deformation of Viscoelastic Material as a Model of Frictional Constitutive Relations

-- We propose a thermal-mechanical model of shear deformation of a viscoelastic material to describe the temperature-dependence of friction law. We consider shear deformation of one-dimensional layer composed of a Maxwell linear viscoelastic material under a constant velocity V and temperature T_w at the boundary. The strain rate due to viscous deformation depends both on temperature and shear stress. The temperature inside the layer changes owing to frictional heating and conductive cooling. Steady-state calculations show that the sign of d†^ss/dV, where †^ss is steady-state stress, changes from positive to negative as V increases, and that the threshold velocity above which the sign of d†^ss/dV is negative increases with increasing T_w. These results are in accordance with the conjecture that the downdip limit of seismogenic zones is marked by the transition in the sign of d†^ss/dV due to temperature rise with depth. We also find that the response of steady state to a step change in V is quite similar to the response of frictional slip with constitutive laws which employ state variables. These findings suggest that by further improving the present model a model of constitutive relations along faults or plate boundaries can be developed which contains temperature-dependence in a physically-sound manner.     

热水条件下角闪石断层泥的摩擦滑动性质——与斜长石断层泥的对比

基于速率与状态依赖性摩擦本构关系理论框架,在热水条件下研究了角闪石断层泥的摩擦滑动性质并与闪长岩的另一种主要矿物斜长石的摩擦滑动性质进行了对比.摩擦实验是在三轴实验系统上完成,有效正应力200 MPa,孔隙压力30 MPa,并将加载速率在1.22 μm/s和 0.122 μm/s之间实施了切换.结果表明角闪石的摩擦系数均值为0.70±0.01,随着温度增加没有系统性的变化,整体低于斜长石的摩擦系数(0.75±0.01);计算与实验表明,角闪石和斜长石的摩擦系数的体积分数加权平均值与闪长岩的摩擦系数基本一致;角闪石在实验温度范围内(100～614 ℃)显示速率强化(a-b>0),与斜长石在整个温度范围内的速率弱化(a-b<0)正好相反;角闪石的速率依赖性在整个实验温度范围内无系统性的变化.     

Seismic Potential of the Main Active Faults in the Granada Basin (Southern Spain)

-- The main active faults of the Granada Basin are located in its central-eastern sector, where the most important tectonic activity is concentrated, uplifting its eastern part and sinking the western border. Several parameters related to the seismic potentiality of these active, or in some cases probably active, faults in this basin are used for the first time. Many of these faults can generate earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 6.0 M_W, although this is not the general case. The fault situated to the N of Sierra Tejeda, probably the one responsible for the big earthquake of 25/12/1884, stands out, because it could generate an earthquake with magnitude 6.9 M_W. Although at present all the data needed are not fully known, we consider that the final results show, as a whole, the average expected return periods of the faults in the Granada Basin.     

Development of a Finite Element Simulator for Crustal Deformation with Large Fault Slipping

--In this paper, a finite element model for simulating long-term crustal deformation with large slipping along fault interface is developed, where a rate- and state-dependent frictional law is introduced to represent the faulting processes and frictional behaviors of fault interface. Moreover, viscous and plastic material properties are used to simulate pressure solution creep and cataclasis, respectively. Throughout the simulations on a structural model of fault-bend folds, the distributions of the stress invariants, equivalent viscous plastic strain, and the traction on the fault interface are investigated. The sequence of deformation mechanisms during movement over a ramp is discussed. It is also found that this kind of frictional model is suitable to represent the rate-dependent behavior of fault slipping due to the movement over a ramp and the tractions on fault interface for treating the low frictional problem of fault-bend folds.     

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE PROCESS OF INTERGRANULAR PRESSURE SOLUTION OF PLAGIOCLASE GOUGE UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE: METHOD AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS

To understand the mechanism of lower-crust earthquake and slow slips, it is necessary to study the frictional properties of mafic rocks and their major rock-forming minerals. Previous studies have performed a series of experimental researches on gabbro, basalt and their major constituents. According to the results of previous experiments, frictional sliding of plagioclase under hydrothermal conditions(100~600℃)shows a property of velocity weakening, and the experimental results show that both the direct rate effect parameter(a)and the healing effect parameter(b)increase with temperature, a typical feature for thermally-activated processes. Velocity weakening means property of a shear band that has a stronger friction healing effect than the direct rate effect in the rate and state friction constitutive framework, and the healing effect(b value)in constitutive relation mainly reflects the increase in contact area with time under hydrothermal conditions, with some minor effect of structural changes. Since the microphysical mechanism of feldspar minerals at the contacts is mainly brittle cataclasis for temperatures below 600℃, the significant frictional healing effect in this case can only be explained by the mechanism of pressure solution. In order to determine if the dissolution process of plagioclase actually occurs on the laboratory time scale, we conducted hydrostatic experiments on plagioclase powder samples under hydrothermal conditions whereby frequent contact switch between particles seen in frictional sliding experiments can be avoided, making the observation on the dissolution sites possible. Experimental temperatures were 400℃ and 500℃, with confining pressure of 90~150MPa, pore pressure of 30MPa, with 2mm initial thickness of fault gouge. The mechanical data show that a creep process occurred in the plagioclase fault gouge in the experimental temperature and pressure range; and the microstructures of the experiment show that precipitation of new grains is prevalent as the product of pressure solution process between plagioclase particles. At the same time, it is observed that the contact points have an appearance similar to fused, fuzzy structure as signatures of dissolution. The results of our experiments provide a definite experimental evidence for the healing mechanism in friction of plagioclase and for the theoretical relation between unstable slip and the pressure solution process. The results of the experiments are summarized as follows: (1)Drainage rate of pore water in plagioclase gouge was high in the first few hours of experiment, but gradually decreases over time for both temperature and pressure series of experiments slowing down to a steady state. This feature indicates that there is a creep process that evolves inside the plagioclase gouge. In the temperature-series experiments, the drainage rate of the pore water in the plagioclase gouge at 400℃ is relatively low than the cases for higher temperatures. Thus, the applied temperature is positively correlated with the creep of plagioclase gouge. (2)Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)observations of the experimentally deformed samples were performed on thin sections cut along the sample axis. Firstly, from the images of microstructure, it was found that the degree of particle fracture became more significant at a higher effective pressure, with smaller pore volume between particles. In the temperature-series experiments it was found that the degree of compaction of plagioclase gouge increased with increasing temperature. Precipitation of plagioclase grains in layered structures was generally observed in high-magnification images, indicating the presence of pressure solution processes. Contact points were also found to be in a state of ambiguity that seems to be a fused morphology, but the details of the structure remain to be determined by further observations. The above results indicate that the pressure solution process of plagioclase particles can occur on a typical laboratory time scale, and the results of this study provide robust experimental evidences for the theory that links between pressure solution and the mechanism of frictional healing and unstable slips for plagioclase.     

High-velocity frictional behavior of Longmenshan fault gouge from Hongkou outcrop and its implications for dynamic weakening of fault during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

High-velocity friction experiments were conducted on clayey fault gouge collected from Hongkou outcrop of Beichuan fault,located at the southwestern part of Longmenshan fault system that caused the disastrous 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.The ultimate purpose of this study is to reproduce this earthquake by modeling based on measured frictional properties.Dry gouge of about 1 mm in thickness was deformed dry at slip rates of 0.01 to 1.3 m/s and at normal stresses of 0.61 to 3.04 MPa,using a rotary-shear high-...     

Internal structures and high-velocity frictional properties of Longmenshan fault zone at Shenxigou activated during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

This paper reports internal structures of a wide fault zone at Shenxigou, Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, China, and high-velocity frictional properties of the fault gouge collected near the coseismic slip zone during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Vertical offset and horizontal displacement at the trench site were 2.8 m (NW side up) and 4.8 m (right-lateral), respectively. The fault zone formed in Triassic sandstone, siltstone, and shale about 500 m away from the Yingxiu-Beichuan fault, a major fault in the Longmenshan fault system. A trench survey across the coseismic fault, and observations of outcrops and drill cores down to a depth of 57 m revealed that the fault zone consists of fault gouge and fault breccia of about 0.5 and 250–300 m in widths, respectively, and that the fault strikes N62°E and dips 68° to NW. Quaternary conglomerates were recovered beneath the fault in the drilling, so that the fault moved at least 55 m along the coseismic slip zone, experiencing about 18 events of similar sizes. The fault core is composed of grayish gouge (GG) and blackish gouge (BG) with very complex slip-zone structures. BG contains low-crystalline graphite of about 30 %. High-velocity friction experiments were conducted at normal stresses of 0.6–2.1 MPa and slip rates of 0.1–2.1 m/s. Both GG and BG exhibit dramatic slip weakening at constant high slip rates that can be described as an exponential decay from peak friction coefficient μ _p to steady-state friction coefficient μ _ss over a slip-weakening distance D _c. Deformation of GG and BG is characterized by overlapped slip-zone structures and development of sharp slickenside surfaces, respectively. Comparison of our data with those reported for other outcrops indicates that the high-velocity frictional properties of the Longmenshan fault zones are quite uniform and the high-velocity weakening must have promoted dynamic rupture propagation during the Wenchuan earthquake.     

热水条件下黑云母断层泥的摩擦强度与稳定性

黑云母是自然界常见的层状硅酸盐矿物,其摩擦系数不高且化学稳定性好,对其摩擦性质的关注可能会对弱断层的研究有所帮助.本次工作选取的实验温度条件对应于典型地壳强度模型中脆塑性转化带的范围,为300 ℃和400 ℃.有效正应力为200 MPa,孔隙水压包括10 MPa和30 MPa,在此条件下对黑云母模拟断层泥进行摩擦实验研究.实验得出黑云母的摩擦系数平均在0.36左右.速度依赖性随温度升高速度弱化的程度增强,表现为300 ℃为十分微弱的速度弱化,而在400 ℃出现了黏滑行为,代表了更强的速度弱化.显微结构中同时出现了脆性剪切变形和塑性扭折变形,但决定宏观力学性质的显然是脆性剪切变形.在黑云母存在的情况下,本研究的实验结果有助于理解大陆地壳脆塑性转化带中地震的可能性和弱断层深部的变形机制、宏观力学行为以及地震活动.     

Slip- and Time-dependent Fault Constitutive Law and its Significance in Earthquake Generation Cycles

-- By integrating effects of microscopic interactions between statistically self-similar fault surfaces, we succeeded in deriving a slip- and time-dependent fault constitutive law that rationally unifies the slip-dependent law and the rate- and state-dependent law. In this constitutive law the slip-weakening results from the abrasion of surface asperities that proceeds irreversibly with fault slip. On the other hand, the restoration of shear strength after the arrest of faulting results from the adhesion of surface asperities that proceeds with contact time. At the limit of high slip-rate the unified constitutive law is reduced to the slip-weakening law. At the limit of low slip-rate it shows the well-known log t strengthening of faults over the wide range of contact time t. In the steady state with a constant slip-rate V the shear strength has the negative log V dependence, known as the velocity-weakening. Another important property expected from the unified constitutive law is the gradual increase of the critical weakening displacement D_c with stationary contact time. We numerically examined behavior of a single degree of freedom elastic system following the slip- and time-dependent constitutive law, and found that the periodic stick-slip motion is realized when the adhesion rate is high in comparison with the loading rate. If the adhesion rate is very low, behavior of the system gradually changes from stick-slip motion to steady sliding with time.     

Triaxial testing of Lopez Fault gouge at 150 MPa mean effective stress

Triaxial compression experiments were performed on samples of natural granular fault gouge from the Lopez Fault in Southern California. This material consists primarily of quartz and has a self-similar grain size distribution thought to result from natural cataclasis. The experiments were performed at a constant mean effective stress of 150 MPa, to expose the volumetric strains associated with shear failure. The failure strength is parameterized by the coefficient of internal friction , based on the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion.Samples of remoulded Lopez gouge have internal friction =0.6±0.02. In experiments where the ends of the sample are constrained to remain axially aligned, suppressing strain localisation, the sample compacts before failure and dilates persistently after failure. In experiments where one end of the sample is free to move laterally, the strain localises to a single oblique fault at around the point of failure; some dilation occurs but does not persist. A comparison of these experiments suggests that dilation is confined to the region of shear localisation in a sample. Overconsolidated samples have slightly larger failure strengths than normally consolidated samples, and smaller axial strains are required to cause failure. A large amount of dilation occurs after failure in heavily overconsolidated samples, suggesting that dilation is occurring throughout the sample. Undisturbed samples of Lopez gouge, cored from the outcrop, have internal friction in the range =0.4–0.6; the upper end of this range corresponds to the value established for remoulded Lopez gouge. Some kind of natural heterogeneity within the undisturbed samples is probably responsible for their low, variable strength. In samples of simulated gouge, with a more uniform grain size, active cataclasis during axial loading leads to large amounts of compaction. Larger axial strains are required to cause failure in simulated gouge, but the failure strength is similar to that of natural Lopez gouge.Use of the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion to interpret the results from this study, and other recent studies on intact rock and granular gouge, leads to values of that depend on the loading configuration and the intact or granular state of the sample. Conceptual models are advanced to account for these descrepancies. The consequences for strain-weakening of natural faults are also discussed.