The researchers tested chemomechanical weakening on muscovite surfaces by exposing samples to different conditions. This included dry, and submersed in solutions of deionised water and salt water with pH 9.8 or 12.
Dry muscovite, they found, can deform more before it fails.
“The results of this work allow researchers to test material failure more quickly than high-powered, detailed simulation models,” Sickle says. “By showing that we can observe the same results by using the statistical models already in place for earthquakes, researchers will be able to perform more material analysis than previously possible.”