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www.nonlin-processes-geophys.net/4/207/1997/
doi:10.5194/npg-4-207-1997
© Author(s) 1997. This work is licensed
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Size-frequency distribution of earthquakes in hierarchically organized load-transfer models
1Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
2Departamento de Físics Teórica, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Abstract. Large hierarchically organized sets of elements (simulating asperities in a fault) are loaded to the point of complete failure. The fracture thresholds of individual elements are stochastically distributed, and the hierarchical structure for load-transfer is of the fractal-tree type. During the breakdown process there occur bursts (earthquakes) of several elements breaking simultaneously at a given load. Using Monte Carlo simulations we compute the frequency of bursts versus their size. This shows a gross power-law behaviour superimposed by a wavy pattern closely related to the coordination number of the fractal tree used for the load-transfer structure.
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Citation: Gómez, J. B. and Pacheco, A. F.: Size-frequency distribution of earthquakes in hierarchically organized load-transfer models, Nonlin. Processes Geophys., 4, 207-211, doi:10.5194/npg-4-207-1997, 1997. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
