Electrical resistivity of granite in frictional sliding: Application to earthquake prediction

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Abstract
The electrical resistivity of a saturated granite during frictional sliding showed clear variations premonitory to the occurrence of stick‐slip: Resistivity decreased by a few percent with increasing shear stress; the minimum coincided with a sudden release of shear stress of a few bars, accompanied by an immediate return of resistivity. This sequence of changes of resistivity bears some similarity to those observed in the field prior to the occurrence of some earthquakes and suggests that the causative mechanisms for both the field and the laboratory phenomena might be closely related. Further field application of the electrical method for earthquake prediction seems desirable.