Viscoelastic effects in avalanche dynamics : A key to earthquake statistics

Orateur : Alberto ROSSO (LPTMS, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France)

We model the frictional dynamics of two tectonic plates sliding along a fault as an interface driven in a heterogeneous medium. Because of the asperities of the medium, the dynamics is jerky and proceeds via sudden and large reorganizations of the interface shape. Such events correspond to earthquakes. In friction, relaxational effects are crucial to understand the macroscopic dynamics. Here, we incorporate these effects in a statistical model and obtain a realistic description of seismic activity. In particular, we observe the appearance of aftershocks, the quasi-periodic occurrence of major earthquakes (the so-called seismic cycle), and a realistic Gutenberg-Richter law.

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