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Fault Heals Rapidly after Dynamic Weakening

Earthquake Research Department, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, 3-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-0006, Japan mizo{at}bosai.go.jp

Takehiro Hirose

Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 200 Monobe-otsu, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8502, Japan

Toshihiko Shimamoto

Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan

Eiichi Fukuyama

Earthquake Research Department, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, 3-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-0006, Japan

How rapidly fault strength recovers after an earthquake is an important question for understanding the earthquake generation mechanism in seismic cycles. Here we show in laboratory experiments where a fault weakened dynamically at subseismic slip rates (85 mm/sec) recovers its frictional strength logarithmically with time and the healing rate of 0.2–0.3, one order of magnitude greater than those in previous studies. The fault can completely recover its frictional strength to preslip level within one day. We suggest that immediately after an earthquake a slipped fault surface can regain its potential to trigger the next earthquake, which might have important implications for forecasting future large earthquakes.