BREAK@ESRF

Deformation in the Earth’s crust localizes onto faults that may rupture rapidly producing earthquakes, or undergo slow aseismic slip that may or may not accelerate into coseismic slip. Our goal is to provide the first quantitative laboratory observations of the full displacement field in rocks before and during coseismic fault slip. Here, we will 1) develop a new and original rock deformation apparatus (ZEUS) on beamline BM18, that will couple X-ray tomography imaging and acoustic emission monitoring, 2) perform shock wave experiments on rocks on beamline ID19, 3) develop techniques to measure residual strains in deformed rocks on beamline ID11. The principal investigator, François Renard, has obtained an European Research Council Advanced Grant for the period 2022-2026, with a total funding of 3.45 M€, and in which ESRF is a Beneficiary. We are requesting a total of 165 shifts over 3 years (102 shifts on beamline BM18, 27 shifts on beamline ID19, 36 shifts on beamline ID11).