Howdy,

A bit more on the term "gouge" and fault gouges and the materials involved. This is from Wiki, but is consistent with material I have read since 1974. I am not sure if it applies to Oceanic faults, so if I used the wrong terms in afore mentioned post, my aplogies. I thought the basic term would be understood. The Solomon quake would have altered an existing fault, and probably did not create new gouge physics, so all arguements are valid. I should have used the term "sea floor rupture".

Sorry for any misunderstanding.

Glen

The main types of fault rock are:

Cataclasite - A fault rock which is cohesive with a poorly developed or absent planar fabric, or which is incohesive, characterised by generally angular clasts and rock fragments in a finer-grained matrix of similar composition.

Mylonite - A fault rock which is cohesive and characterized by a well developed planar fabric resulting from tectonic reduction of grain size, and commonly containing rounded porphyroclasts and rock fragments of similar composition to minerals in the matrix

Tectonic or Fault Breccia - A medium- to coarse-grained cataclasite containing >30% visible fragments.

Fault Gouge - An incohesive, clay-rich fine- to ultrafine-grained cataclasite, which may possess a planar fabric and containing <30% visible fragments. Rock clasts may be present

Pseudotachylite - Ultrafine-grained vitreous-looking material, usually black and flinty in appearance, occurring as thin planar veins, injection veins or as a matrix to pseudoconglomerates or breccias, which infills dilation fractures in the host rock.

• Gouge