We investigate experimentally granular piles exhibiting steady surface flow. Below the surface flow, it has been believed that a “frozen” bulk region exists, but our results show no such frozen bulk. We report here that even the particles in layers deep in the bulk exhibit very slow flow and that such motion can be detected at an arbitrary depth. The mean velocity of the creep motion decays exponentially with depth, and the characteristic decay length is approximately equal to the particle size and is independent of the flow rate. It is expected that the creep motion we have seen is observable in all sheared granular systems.

• Received 26 June 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.1757