Frictional melting can terminate seismic slips: Experimental results of stick-slips

The appropriate setting of sensors and the use of a high speed data acquisition system enabled us to detect the exact time of melting of the slip surfaces during a stick‐slip event (fault displacement of 0.32 mm, stress drop of 230 MPa, rise time of 23 μs and maximum slip velocity of 40 m/s) in triaxial apparatus at 150 MPa confining pressure. Once slip started, the friction coefficient decreased continuously from 0.55 to 0.3, after which the frictional resistance recovered promptly and remarkably. This strengthening can be attributed to the highly resistive initial melt, a potential mechanism for arresting seismic slips.