DYNAMICS OF EARTHQUAKE FAULTS
CARLSON JM, LANGER JS, SHAW BE
REVIEWS OF MODERN PHYSICS
66: (2) 657-670 APR 1994
Abstract:
The authors present an overview of ongoing studies of
the rich dynamical behavior of the uniform, deterministic Burridge-Knopoff
model of an earthquake fault, discussing the model's behavior in the context
of current seismology. The topics considered include: (1) basic properties
of the model, such as the distinction between small and large events and
the magnitude vs frequency distribution; (2) dynamics of individual events,
including dynamical selection of rupture propagation speeds; (3) generalizations
of the model to more realistic, higher-dimensional models; and (4) studies
of predictability, in which artificial catalogs generated by the model
are used to test and determine the limitations of pattern recognition algorithms
used in seismology.