Glossary

Key terms and short explanations.

Open-interval

An open interval is the unconstrained time before the first offset of a marker or after the most recent earthquake that is included in a slip-rate calculation. Because it adds time without adding displacement, it tends to bias geologic slip rates low, particularly for faults with long recurrence intervals.

Fault-valve

A cyclic process where faults are sealed and overpressured between earthquakes but become highly permeable during rupture, allowing rapid fluid discharge. It provides a mechanism for coupling fluid pressure, effective stress, and episodic seismic slip.