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A simplified spring‐block model of earthquakes
Author(s) -
Brown Stephen R.,
Scholz Christopher H.,
Rundle John B.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/91gl00210
Subject(s) - geology , seismology , block (permutation group theory) , slip (aerodynamics) , block model , cellular automaton , interval (graph theory) , physics , geometry , mathematics , algorithm , mining engineering , combinatorics , thermodynamics
The time interval between earthquakes is much larger than the actual time involved during slip in an individual event. We have used this fact to construct a cellular automaton model of earthquakes. This model describes the time evolution of a 2‐D system of coupled masses and springs sliding on a frictional surface. The model exhibits power law frequency‐size relations and can exhibit large earthquakes with the same scatter in the recurrence time observed for actual earthquakes.