Rock Friction
Direct Shear Frictional Experiments
Direct shear experiments to study frictional behavior of faults under various fault gouge materials.
Research Portfolio
Research Projects
Current laboratory, volcano monitoring, and seismic hazard research projects.
Featured Project
Does b-Value Increase With Pore-Pressure?: Insights From Laboratory Experiments and Induced Seismicity
Published in Geophysical Research Letters, 52, e2025GL115740 (2025). Anthropogenic fluid injection increases pore-pressure and triggers induced seismicity. Using controlled triaxial compression experiments on faulted Westerly Granite samples and comparison with Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) reservoir data, we disentangle three independent controls on the seismic b-value: (1) increasing differential stress reduces b-value through an inverse linear relationship; (2) elevated pore-pressure amplifies the stress-dependence of b-values rather than increasing them unconditionally; and (3) spatially heterogeneous fault-damage zones promote higher b-values during fluid injection. These results demonstrate that b-value variations in induced seismicity require cautious interpretation, as differential stress, pore-pressure, and fault structure each contribute distinct, separable effects.
Project Areas
Volcano Seismology
Real-Time Volcano Seismic Monitoring at Santa Ana Volcano
Real-time seismic network deployment, continuous event detection, earthquake catalog development, and subsurface analysis for Santa Ana Volcano in western El Salvador.
Seismic Hazard
Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment of Nepal Himalayan Region
Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of the Central Nepal Himalayan Region.