Chris Marone Research Overview:

My research is focused on the physics of earthquakes and faulting and the mechanics of frictional sliding. Activities include laboratory experiments, analysis of field data, and numerical studies of faulting and dynamic rupture. My laboratory work is focused on frictional and rheologic properties of brittle materials. The goal of this work is to develop a set of friction constitutive laws to describe the rheology of brittle deformation. A key part of the laboratory work has been identifying and documenting the effects of dilatancy and shear localization on second order variations in friction.

My group also devotes significant effort to the scaling problems inherent in applying laboratory data to seismogenic faults. Connecting laboratory observations to field data and theoretical studies is a critical part of modern experimental studies.

Research Interests:

» Experimental Geophysics
» Earthquake Physics
» Rock Mechanics
» Fault Mechanics
» Constitutive Laws
» Granular Mechanics

Current Projects:

» Mechanics of the critical slip distance and application of laboratory data to seismic faulting
» The rate of fault healing, the rate of frictional strengthening, and implications for friction constitutive laws
» Numerical studies of earthquake nucleation and dynamic rupture propagation
» Numerical modeling of friction data and inversion for friction constitutive parameters
» Upper stability transition on mature faults and the mechanics of earthquake afterslip
» Frictional behavior of smectite and illite-rich clay gouges with application to the mechanics of subduction zone megathursts
» Influence of grain characteristics on the friction of granular shear zones
» The effect of humidity on granular friction
» Creep and frictional behavior of laboratory fault zones subject to time-dependent fluctuations of normal load

Contact Chris:

814.865.7964 | cjm38@psu.edu