www.sciencedaily.com
Deep earthquake faults can rapidly heal, sometimes within hours, challenging current understanding. Evidence from Cascadia slow slip events suggests repeated fault movements require quick strength recovery. Researchers found that mineral grains under intense heat and pressure can weld together, acting as a “natural glue” to rapidly re-cohere the fault. This fast cohesion, demonstrated in lab settings, might be a critical element missing from current earthquake models and could significantly improve future predictions.
