Rapid phase transitions: an earthquake source mechanism

Abstract

Since the 1930's there has been much speculation on whether rapid phase transitions could be an earthquake source mechanism. The kind of transition envisaged is a first-order polymorphic transformation accompanied by a finite change in volume. While the proposal that such transitions occurring rapidly are capable of releasing sufficient energy to cause earthquakes is encountered frequently in the literature of combustion and detonation, and although statements like the above are found in both chemical and geological contexts, there has been little attempt to assess the validity of such an hypothesis. It is the aim of this thesis to investigate the feasibility of the idea by reference to rapid phase transitions in chemical systems and to theoretical aspects of nucleation kinetics and shock theory, and application of the derived relationships to geological systems.