Persistence and quiescence of seismicity on fault systems

Citation
Mw. Lee et al., Persistence and quiescence of seismicity on fault systems, PHYS REV L, 83(20), 1999, pp. 4219-4222
Citations number
15
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
ISSN journal
00319007 → ACNP
Volume
83
Issue
20
Year of publication
1999
Pages
4219 - 4222
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-9007(19991115)83:20<4219:PAQOSO>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
We study the statistics of simulated earthquakes in a quasistatic model of two parallel heterogeneous faults within a slowly driven elastic tectonic p late. The probability that one fault remains dormant while the other is act ive for a time Delta t following the previous activity shift is proportiona l to Delta t(-(1+x)), a result that is robust in the presence of annealed n oise and strength weakening. A mean field theory accounts for the observed dependence of the persistence exponent x as a function of heterogeneity and distance between faults. These results continue to hold if the number of c ompeting faults is increased.