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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Ubiquitous mechanism of creep-quake cycles in porous media

Leonardo A. Crespo Parraga, Itai Einav, and François Guillard*

  • *Contact author: francois.guillard@sydney.edu.au
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L032034 – Published 13 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/cpk4-1d5y

Abstract

The degradation of porous media can trigger devastating events, from sinkhole formation to ice-shelve breakouts. In a recent study, regularly recurring creep-quake collapse cycles were identified in cereals, whose progression was related to partial saturation. This Letter reveals such patterns in other materials, including sand and ice, but crucially, we demonstrate that they do not necessitate partial saturation. Conversely, we experimentally and theoretically show how the mechanism underpinning the creep-quake collapse cycles can develop in any porous medium, as long as it is simultaneously subjected to compression and a nonuniform degradation field, let that be a hydraulic, thermal, or chemical field. Our results highlight the ubiquity of creep-quake collapse cycles and the importance of the underlying degradation processes that activate this mechanism in any porous medium. Given the vast interest in porous media, this understanding is anticipated to have significant implications in the agricultural, pharmaceutical, and environmental sciences.

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References (35)

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L032034– Published 13 August, 2025
  • Received 24 September 2023
  • Accepted 17 July 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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