arXiv subjects

Pritom Sarma

Publications and source records attributed to Pritom Sarma.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Poroelastic aquifer response drives seasonal vertical land motion in southern Louisiana

Coastal Louisiana is sinking, amplifying flooding and land loss, yet the seasonal component of this motion remains difficult to attribute. Satellite geodetic records from Baton Rouge spanning 2004-2024 reveal long-term subsidence of -2.69 +/- 0.69 mm/yr, with a superimposed annual oscillation of 10-15 mm that is in phase with river stage and confined-aquifer hydraulic head. This positive correlation is diagnostic of poroelastic deformation rather than surface loading. A poroelastic model of a semi-confined aquifer driven by hydraulic-head variations reproduces both the long-term and seasonal signals. The seasonal amplitude decreases logarithmically with distance from the intersection of the Baton Rouge Fault and the Mississippi River, as expected for radial pressure diffusion from a flux source. Fault-river intersections therefore act as seasonal conduits into deep aquifers, representing an underappreciated control on coastal land motion that is likely to strengthen as hydrological extremes intensify.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

How effective normal stress oscillations advance failure in fault gouge: frequency dependence, non-failure window, and the role of dilation

Cyclic pore-pressure or normal stress variations arise both in relation to natural earthquakes and in engineered subsurface systems, yet their effect on fault stability remains poorly constrained at the grain scale. Here we numerically model, using a coupled Discrete Element--fluid dynamics model, the response of a sheared, fluid-saturated or dry, gouge-filled fault to effective normal stress oscillations over a wide frequency range (0.5-10000 Hz). The effective normal stress is oscillated either by cycling the pore-pressure or by directly cycling the normal stress, while keeping the stress state below the Mohr-Coulomb threshold measured in continuous loading. Despite this sub-critical loading, we observe failure across most frequencies, with a non-monotonic frequency dependence. A distinct non-failure window emerges at intermediate frequencies (30-200 Hz), bounded by failure at both lower and higher frequencies; the system exhibits four regimes from cyclic failure-and-arrest to continuous sliding. Pore-pressure and normal stress oscillations produce the same regime structure, confirming that they act as equivalent forcings via Terzaghi's principle, with fluid coupling adding only a delay due to dilatant hardening. Sub-critical failure arises from dilation-induced strength deterioration via two mechanisms: (i) low-frequency cycles allow sufficient time for shear-driven ratcheting dilation, while (ii) high-frequency cycles induce dynamic dilation (acoustic fluidization) via amplified seepage forces, stress gradients and inertial forces. The intermediate non-failure window represents the gap between these mechanisms. These results identify frequency as a controlling parameter for failure in granular materials, with implications for dynamic earthquake triggering and cyclic injection protocols.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

Frictional timescales and the impact of climate change-driven extreme weather on rainfall-triggered landslides in Mizoram, NE India

Mizoram records the highest landslide frequency among all Indian states, yet physics-based models that predict the timing of slope failure remain unavailable for the region. Here, we apply the rate-and-state friction (RSF) block-slider framework of Paul et al.(2024) to 19 rainfall-triggered landslides in and around Aizawl (2016--2025) to investigate the hydro-mechanical coupling between pore-pressure transients and the slow-to-fast transition of slopes hosted in Miocene shale-dominated lithology. For each event, satellite-derived (GPM) rainfall is propagated to failure depth using a 1D infiltration model across three hydraulic conductivity scenarios, and RSF parameters are inverted to reproduce the observed failure date. The resulting dimensionless normalized pore-pressure $\chi = \mu_0 \Delta P / (a\,\sigma'_f)$ cleanly separates the 19 events into two dynamically distinct failure regimes: synchronous failure ($\chi \gtrsim 4$, zero delay from peak pore-pressure), exemplified by the eight-event Cyclone Remal cluster of May 2024, and delayed failure ($\chi \sim 1$--$3$, delays of hours to 10~days), controlled jointly by $\chi$ and the velocity-weakening ratio $a/b$. Using CMIP6 extreme-rainfall scaling factors for northeast India under SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, we project that the fraction of landslides falling in the zero-warning synchronous regime increases from the current $\sim$56% to $\sim$72% under SSP5-8.5. Our results imply a significant climate-driven escalation of multi-site, clustered landslide failure risk driven by the intensification of extreme precipitation events.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2026

Injection-rate effects on failure in a fluid-saturated granular fault gouge

Fluid injection into the Earth's subsurface, performed for energy extraction, waste disposal, and resource development, is known to reactivate gouge-filled faults and induce seismicity, a key hazard in modern geotechnical operations. Nevertheless, the role of injection rate in controlling fault-gouge failure remains poorly understood. Here we present both an analytical theory and coupled fluid--granular (discrete element) numerical simulations to explain this rate dependence. Assuming a pre-stressed gouge-filled fault subject to fluid injection, we derive a pore-pressure diffusion equation with a dilative sink. Its solution predicts a rate-dependent failure criterion, arising from pressure heterogeneity within the layer: slow injection allows pressure to diffuse uniformly throughout the layer, promoting uniform weakening, whereas rapid injection produces strong gradients, leaving distal regions stronger. The numerical simulations confirm the theory and reproduce experimental observations not captured by classical, uniform-pressure effective-stress theory. The framework links grain-scale physics to fault-scale failure and provides quantitative guidance for the design of injection protocols in geotechnical operations involving granular geomaterials.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2024

Fault gouge failure induced by fluid injection: Hysteresis, delay and shear-strengthening

Natural faults often contain a fluid-saturated, granular fault-gouge layer, whose failure and sliding processes play a central role in earthquake dynamics. Using a two-dimensional discrete element model coupled with fluid dynamics, we simulate a fluid-saturated granular layer, where fluid pressure is incrementally raised. At a critical fluid pressure level, the layer fails and begins to accelerate. When we gradually reduce fluid pressure, a distinct behavior emerges: slip-rate decreases linearly until the layer halts at a fluid pressure level below that required to initiate failure. During this pressure cycle the system exhibits (1) velocity-strengthening friction and (2) frictional hysteresis. These behaviors, well established in dry granular media, are shown to extend here to shear of dense fluid-saturated granular layers. Additionally, we observe a delay between fluid pressure increase and failure, associated with pre-failure dilative strain and "dilational-hardening". During the delay period, small, arrested slip events dilate the layer in preparation for full-scale failure. Our findings may explain (i) fault motion that continues even after fluid pressure returns to pre-injection levels, and (ii) delayed failure in fluid-injection experiments, and (iii) pre-failure arrested slip events observed prior to earthquakes.

physics.geo-ph↗