Strain Sensitivity in Fluid-Saturated Media

摘要

This paper is concerned with the main properties of strain sensitivity in fluid-saturated media as revealed by extensive observations of the response of groundwater to earthquake precursory and other geody-namic processes. The response reflects changes in the state of stress and strain in the earth and is an important factor that influences stress distribution under the influence of fluids. We highlight two spheres of strain sen-sitivity, viz., in areas where stresses are active and in the near-surface zone that is accessible to observation. We define the conditions for abnormally high, zero, and negative sensitivity to strain. The character of strain sensitivity is considerably affected by the observing systems and the geologic section. It is shown that strain sensitivity should be taken into account when determining the role of fluids in the development of earthquake ruptures and for interpretations of fluid-related precursors.