Intermittent phase transitions in a slider-block model as a mechanism for earthquakes

The aperiodic behavior of a two-dimensional stick-slip slider-block model o f earthquakes is the subject of this study. The phenomenon of temporal phas e transitions between creep and stick-slip motions is thoroughly analyzed a nd attributed to type-I intermittency. Asymmetry in the elastic forces is s hown to play a key role in the emergence of complex behavior in the model. The unpredictability of chaotic bursts in the intermittent regime indicates potential difficulties for earthquake forecasting.