Formation mechanism of carbonaceous materials in fault gouge of Wenchuan earthquake

Abstract

Carbonaceous materials are widely present in the seismic fault zone. They play a crucial role in lubricating the fault slipping. To date, the formation mechanism of carbonaceous materials is still unclear. In this work, we have conducted a carbon dioxide hydrogenation reaction experiment in a homemade high temperature reactor for the purpose to insight the formation mechanism of carbonaceous materials, with fault gouge used as the catalyst. During the reaction process, carbonaceous materials are formed on the fault gouge, suggesting that the carbonaceous materials in the fault zone are possibly generated from carbon dioxide hydrogenation reaction. These results are important for understanding fault behavior and earthquake physics.