Premonitory acoustic emissions and stick‐slip in natural and smooth‐faulted Westerly granite

A stick‐slip event was induced in a cylindrical sample of Westerly granite containing a preexisting natural fault by loading at constant confining pressure of 150 MPa. Continuously recorded acoustic emission (AE) data and computer tomography (CT)‐generated images of the fault plane were combined to provide a detailed examination of microscale processes operating on the fault. The dynamic stick‐slip event, considered to be a laboratory analog of...