Earthquakes nucleate when large amounts of elastic energy, stored in the earth's crust, are suddenly released due to abrupt sliding over a fault. Fluid injections can reactivate existing seismogenic faults and induce/trigger earthquakes by increasing fluid pressure. Here we develop an analogous experimental system of simultaneously loaded and wetted absorbent porous paper to quantify theoretically the process of wetting‐induced earthquakes. This strategy allows us to gradually release the stored energy by provoking low intensity tremors. We identify the key parameters that control the outcome of the applied injection strategy, which include the initial stress state, fault segmentation, and segment‐activation rate. Subsequent injections, initiated at high stress levels, can drive the system faster toward its instability point, nucleating a large earthquake. Starting at low stress levels, however, they can reduce the magnitude of the natural event by at least one unit.

中文翻译：

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吸收性多孔纸揭示了如何减轻地震

当存储在地壳中的大量弹性能量由于在断层上的突然滑动而突然释放时，地震就会成核。流体注入可以通过增加流体压力来重新激活现有的地震成因，并诱发/触发地震。在这里，我们开发了一个类似的实验系统，该实验系统同时加载和润湿吸收性多孔纸，以从理论上量化湿润地震的过程。这种策略使我们能够通过引起低强度震颤来逐渐释放储存的能量。我们确定了控制所应用注射策略结果的关键参数，包括初始应力状态，断层分段和分段激活率。在高应力水平下进行的后续注入可以使系统更快地达到不稳定点，使大地震成核。但是，从低应力水平开始，它们可以将自然事件的强度降低至少一个单位。