• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.201-211
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• 2019

The particle size and crystallinity of fault gouge generally decreases with slip. Phyllosilicates including talc are known to be present in fault gouge and play an important role in fault weakening. In particular, the coefficient of friction varies depending on the presence of a water molecule on the surface of mineral. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of talc on fault weakening by changing the water content and dehydration behavior of talc before and after grinding, which systematically varied particle size and crystallinity using high energy ball mill. Infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis show that the as-received talc is hydrophobic before grinding and the water molecule is rarely present. After grinding up to 720 minutes, the particle size decreased to around 100 ~300 nm, and in talc, where amorphization proceeded, the water content increased by about 8 wt.% and water molecule would be attached on the surface of talc. As a result, the amount of vaporized water by heating increased after grinding. The dihydroxylation temperature also decreased by ${\sim}750^{\circ}C$ after 720 minutes of grinding at ${\sim}950^{\circ}C$ before grinding due to the decrease of particle size and crystallinity. These results indicate that the hydrophobicity of talc is changed to hydrophilic by grinding, and water molecules attached on the surface, which is thought to lower the coefficient of friction of phyllosilicates. The repeated slip throughout the seismic cycle would consistently lower the coefficient of friction of talc present in fault gouge, which could provide the clue to the weakening of matured fault.