Several large strike slip faults in central and northern California accommodate plate motions through aseismic creep. Although there is no consensus regarding the underlying cause of aseismic creep, aqueous fluids and mechanically weak, velocity-strengthening minerals appear to play a central role. This study integrates field observations and thermodynamic modeling to examine possible relationships between the occurrence of serpentinite, silica-carbonate rock, and CO₂-rich aqueous fluids in creeping faults of California. Our models predict that carbonation of serpentinite leads to the formation of talc and magnesite, followed by silica-carbonate rock. While abundant exposures of silica-carbonate rock indicate complete carbonation, serpentinite-hosted CO₂-rich spring fluids are strongly supersaturated with talc at elevated temperatures. Hence, carbonation of serpentinite is likely ongoing in parts of the San Andres Fault system and operates in conjunction with other modes of talc formation that may further enhance the potential for aseismic creep, thereby limiting the potential for large earthquakes.

中文翻译：

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加利福尼亚爬行断层中蛇纹岩的碳化

加利福尼亚中部和北部的几个大型走滑断层通过抗震蠕变适应板块运动。尽管对于抗震蠕变的根本原因尚无共识，但含水流体和机械强度较弱的速度强化矿物似乎起着核心作用。_{本研究整合了现场观测和热力学模型，以检查加利福尼亚州蠕动断层中蛇纹岩、硅碳酸盐岩石和富含 CO 2}的水性流体之间可能存在的关系。我们的模型预测，蛇纹岩的碳化导致滑石和菱镁矿的形成，然后是硅碳酸盐岩石。虽然大量的硅碳酸盐岩石暴露表明完全碳化，但以蛇纹石为主的 CO ₂富含滑石的泉液在高温下强烈过饱和。因此，蛇纹岩的碳化可能在圣安德烈斯断层系统的部分地区进行，并与其他滑石形成模式一起运行，这可能会进一步增强抗震蠕变的可能性，从而限制大地震的可能性。