Member

NAKATANI, Masao

Associate Professor
Earthquake Research Institute

Office: 2号館-311
E-mail:
HP:  

Research Field

Earthquake source physics, Lab and Field Rock mechanics, Earthquake precursor

Current Research

I have been working on laboratory and theoretical studies of time-dependent effects on friction, which explains a variety of earthquake phenomena. We have developed a non-destructive monitoring technique of the internal state of frictional interface. This might be useful to detect the precursory loss of strength preceding large earthquakes.
I deployed micro-fracture rnrndetection sensors surrounding geologic faults in deep South African Mines and found on-fault micro fracture activity distinct from those in rock mass near the mining faults.
I studied inter-scale rninteractions rnof asperities including quasi-static slip through numerical rnsimulation, where I found that large earthquakes can be rnpreceded by large nucleation, while large earthquakes can be also triggered by dynamic cascading up from small earthquakes in small fragile asperities.I am evaluating statistical significance of candidates of earthquake presursors.

Representative Publications

1. Nagata, K., M. Nakatani, and S. Yoshida, A revised rate- and state-dependent friction law obtained by constraining constitutive and evolution laws separately with laboratory data, J. Geophys. Res., 117, B02314, doi:10.1029/2011JB008818, 2012
2. Nakatani, M. and C. H. Scholz, Frictional healing of quartz gouge under hydrothermal conditions: 1.Experimental evidence for solution transfer healing mechanism, J. Geophys. Res., 109, B07201,doi:10.1029/2001JB001522, 2004.
3. Yabe, Y., M. Nakatani, M. Naoi, J. Philipp, C. Janssen, T. Watanabe, T. Katsura, H. Kawakata, D. Georg, and H. Ogasawara (2015) Nucleation process of an M2 earthquake in a deep gold mine in South Africa inferred from on-fault foreshock activity, J. Geophys. Res., 120, 5574-5594, doi:10.1002/2014JB011680.