Title: The Seismic Cycle under HydrOThermal conditions: experimenTAl, analytical and modeling studies

Principal Investigator: Giulio Di Toro | Programme: PRIN 2022 DM 104/2022

Total Contribution € 162.590,32 | Project Duration: 24 months

Geophysical evidences and the investigation of exposed faults exhumed from upper crustal depths indicate that earthquakes nucleate and propagate often in the presence of fluids at "hydrothermal conditions" (150°C < T < 450°C and P > 25 MPa) typical of geothermal systems. However, also because of technical difficulties in performing rock deformation experiments under such extreme conditions, the evolution of frictional properties of fault materials that contribute to the seismic or aseismic behavior of the fault network is poorly known.