Seismicity and self-organized criticality

Abstract

In this paper, the concept of self-organized criticality is related to seismicity. Self-organized criticality evolved from numerical studies of three simple models: The sandpile model, the slider-block model, and the forest-fire model. These models resemble each other and regional seismicity in their behavior. In this paper we present a simple multiplicative cascade model motivated by the forest-fire model that explains the behavior of self-organized critical models and the difference between criticality and self-organized criticality. This model also presents insights into the behavior of faults and their associated earthquakes.