Emergence of a band‐limited power law in the aftershock decay rate of a slider‐block model

Abstract

In order to elucidate how structural heterogeneities affect the aftershock decay rate, we examine the aftershock sequences produced by a slider‐block model of seismicity. In this model, the geometry of the seismic zone is the only free parameter and all aspects of the system are known. The power law aftershock decay rate holds only for smooth faults. A band‐limited power law emerges at intermediate fault complexity. For rough faults, only a transient regime toward an exponential decay is observed. In all fault geometries examined, a band‐limited power law model fits the synthetic aftershock decay rate better than the Modified Omori Law. Then, as the connected seismic elements form a simpler localised surface, we show that the power law aftershock decay rate extends over longer time, and that the power law exponent increases. These results support the inference that the correlation time of the power law aftershock decay rate increases as the deformation localises along dominant major faults.