Abstract / Description of output
A simple model is presented in which a fault is represented by a one‐dimensional array of elements to which a remote stress is applied. The fracture toughnesses of the fault elements are initially generated by a random walk function, but the fracture system quickly becomes organized into a fractal set characterised by a (box‐counting) fractal dimension. The slope, b, of the frequency‐magnitude distribution and the fractal dimension of the crack population are measured at each step, and found to vary in a similar manner to the seismic b‐value and fractal dimension of earthquake epicentres. The model also predicts the observed variation of b‐value of acoustic emissions in laboratory experiments.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 365-368 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Geophysical Research Letters |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 1992 |