Faultsalso

Faultsalso is a hypothetical concept in seismology used to describe a pattern in which multiple faults in a tectonic region rupture in quick succession in response to a primary earthquake event. The term is not an established or widely used term in major geological literature. It appears mainly in speculative discussions, teaching examples, and fiction to illustrate complex rupture dynamics within fault networks.

In proposed scenarios, slip on a main fault changes the regional stress field, increasing shear or triggering fluid pressure changes on neighboring faults. Under certain conditions, these secondary faults may slip within seconds to minutes, producing a broader rupture area. Researchers explore faultsalso through dynamic rupture simulations that incorporate rate-and-state friction and complex fault geometries.

Critics argue that faultsalso is qualitative and highly sensitive to assumptions about fault geometry, frictional properties, and pore-fluid processes. Empirical evidence for such rapid multi-fault ruptures remains sparse, and the term is mostly used as a heuristic in education and speculative modeling.

See also dynamic triggering, earthquake cascade, fault network theory.