| Title | If not brittle: ductile, plastic, or viscous? |
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| Author | Wang, K |
| Source | Seismological Research Letters vol. 92, issue 2A, 2021 p. 1181-1184, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220200242 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2021 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20200565 |
| Publisher | Seismological Society of America |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf; html |
| Subjects | tectonics; Science and Technology; Nature and Environment; deformation; earthquakes; geodynamics; bedrock geology; structural features; faults; Terminology |
| Illustrations | schematic representations |
| Program | Public Safety Geoscience Assessing Earthquake Geohazards |
| Released | 2021 01 27 |
| Abstract | Integrating earthquake studies with geodynamics requires knowledge of different modes of permanent deformation of rocks beyond seismic failure. However, upon stepping out of the realm of brittle
failure, students find themselves in a zone of terminology conflict. Rocks below the brittle shallow part of the lithosphere are said to be ductile, plastic, or viscous, yet in many papers, what is obviously brittle deformation is said to be plastic.
In this EduQuakes note, I explain the origin of this conflict and how to handle it. The primary reason for the conflict is that the word plastic is used by one research community to describe viscous deformation but by another community to describe
permanent deformation that is NOT viscous. To the former community, emphasis is on the microscopic deformation mechanism. To the latter community, emphasis is on whether the macroscopic deformation is time-dependent. Using a Coulomb continuum to
approximate the effects of numerous brittle faults adds another level of complexity. It is futile to expect a unification of terminology any time soon, but with some basic knowledge one can live with this situation without suffering scientific
confusion. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Earthquake study requires understanding of different types of rock deformation. However, conflicting terminologies are widely used in the literature to
describe deformation that is not brittle. For students and even senior researchers, the terminology conflict causes difficulty in learning about geodynamic processes that cause earthquakes. This article explains the origin of the conflict and how to
handle it. It is written for a section of the journal Seismological Research Letters called EduQuakes which is designed mainly for student readers. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 327795 |
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