Experimental investigation on the origin of carbonaceous materials in the fault zone of the Wenchuan earthquake

Carbonaceous materials in seismic fault zones may considerably influence seismic fault slip; however, the formation mechanism of carbonaceous materials remains unclear. In this study, we proposed a novel hypothesis for the formation of carbonaceous materials in fault gouge. Thus, we conducted a CO₂ hydrogenation experiment in a high-temperature reactor at a co-seismic temperature, with fault gouge formed during the Wenchuan earthquake as the catalyst. Our experimental results demonstrate that carbonaceous materials in fault zones are formed on the fault gouge during the chemical reaction process, suggesting that the carbonaceous materials are possibly generated from the catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂, followed by thermal cracking of its products. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for understanding fault behavior and earthquake physics.