Stick-to-slip transition characterized by nucleation and emission of dislocations and the implications in earthquake nucleation

Stick-slip friction exists widely in our life especially the occurrence of large earthquakes, but people cannot predict and control by a limited understanding of the mechanisms involved. In the present work, the whole process of stick-to-slip transition has been investigated through digital image correlation and acoustic emission. Two phases, namely, the nucleation and abrupt rupture phases have been discovered during the transition that are characterized well by nucleation and transient emission of dislocations, which may support the combination of pre-slip and cascade-up models. Based on the findings simple yet analytical expressions then have been obtained to predict the earthquake cycles consistent with available simulations and practical observations.