Frictional properties of fault zone gouges from the J-FAST drilling project (Mw9.0 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake)

Smectite-rich fault gouges recovered during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 343 (Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project (J-FAST)) from the plate boundary slip zone of the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake were deformed at slip velocities of 10 µm s−1 to 3.5 m s−1 and normal stresses up to 12 MPa. Water-dampened gouges (1) are weaker (apparent friction coefficient, μ* <0.1) than room-humidity gouges (apparent friction coefficient, μ* ~0.1–0.35) at all slip velocities, (2) are velocity insensitive to velocity weakening at all slip velocities, unlike room-humidity gouges that are velocity strengthening at intermediate velocities (V = 0.001–0.1 m s−1), and (3) have negligible peak μ* at high slip velocities (V > 0.1 m s−1). A significant amount of amorphous material formed in room-humidity experiments at low- and high-slip velocities, likely by comminution and disordering of smectite. Our results indicate that the frictional properties of water-dampened gouges could have facilitated propagation of the Tohoku-oki rupture to the trench and large coseismic slip at shallow depths.