Rupture Dynamics and Characteristics During Earthquake Cycles on Nonplanar Faults with Strongly Rate-Weakening Friction

Natural faults exhibit complex geometry. In this study, we model cycles of earthquake ruptures on non-planar faults governed by a friction formulation that combines rate and state friction for low slip velocity and enhanced weakening friction in the form of flash heating for high slip velocity, both consistent with rock friction experiments. The numerical method allows non-matching meshes across the fault, continuously updates the fault geometry, and employs variable time steps with quasi-static and fully dynamic time integration schemes during slow and fast deformation stages, respectively. To prevent the development of large stresses on the fault, the model also accounts for fault wear and inelastic off-fault deformation. We investigate the effect of macro-scale roughness on the fault slip behavior and rupture dynamics in terms of event magnitude, stress drop, and rupture style and speed. We analyze the relationship between the fault geometry, stresses from the preceding earthquakes, and rupture characteristics.

The simulation results show a significant increase in event variability with roughness levels, with both small partial ruptures and ruptures significantly more intense than those on planar faults. The planar faults host a sequence of earthquakes that rupture the entire fault, exhibiting similar magnitudes and stress drops. The substantial reduction in friction enables the ruptures to propagate under a low background shear-to-normal stress ratio as self-healing slip pulses, with a sub-Rayleigh rupture speed. Faults with low roughness levels generally show a similar pattern. Prior to some events, the stress ratio along the fault slightly increases, leading to ruptures with secondary slip pulses and larger magnitudes. As roughness increases, stresses become more heterogeneous, resulting in a more complex sequence of ruptures, some of which arrest at restraining bends with a low stress ratio. However, stress accumulation and slip deficit during these partial ruptures result in high stress ratios on the unruptured fault segments. These are eventually released by large events of crack-like ruptures with supershear propagation speed and stress drops and slip significantly larger than a typical event on a planar fault. Therefore, while fault roughness can cause rupture arrest, consistent with previous studies, it can also substantially increase earthquake magnitudes. This factor should be accounted for in earthquake hazard assessments.