Studying the phenomenon called "ageing", scientists can predict the possibility of an earthquake more easily and accurately. The severity and the timing of the forthcoming earthquake, though, remains a challenge.
According to Phys.org, the phenomenon called "ageing" throws light upon some kind of a resistance known as static friction. Going by it, the longer something, such as a fault, is sitting still, the more static friction is generated and the fault gains strength. Tectonic motion is taking place even when the fault remains still. Because the fault grew stronger with time, the stress can build up to a considerable level, releasing a huge amount of energy causing the earthquake.
Earlier, researchers found that static friction is logarithmic with time, which means that if the materials are in contact for 10 times longer, then the friction force required to move them becomes double. In the new study, though, the researchers increased the normal force to find that it simply increases the amount of contact and the number of sites where atoms can react.
The results showed how the dependence of the friction force on the holding time and the dependence of the friction force on the load combine. This becomes consistent with a model that assumes that the friction force is going up because of the chemical bonds that are forming at the interface, leading the number of bonds to increase with time. When pushed harder, it increases the area of contact between the tip and the sample, causing friction to go up with normal force.
According to Geoscience Australia, Earthquake vibrations travel very fast. The fastest seismic waves take less than 20 minutes to reach the other side of the earth, a distance of almost 13000 km. No part of the earth's surface is free from earthquakes, but some parts are more prone than others. They are most common at places where two tectonic plates meet. When the two plates are colliding, the largest events tend to occur.
To understand the occurrence of the earthquake more smoothly, the key is to make the silicon-made micro and nano-devices work in a better way. Most importantly, the researchers hope that somewhere down the line, a better understanding of "ageing" will enable them to predict when earthquakes will occur.
