In the last decade of the 20th century, there has been great progress in
the physics of earthquake generation; that is, the introduction of
laboratory-based fault constitutive laws as a basic equation governing
earthquake rupture, quantitative description of tectonic loading driven
by plate motion, and a microscopic approach to study fault zone
processes. The fault constitutive law plays the role of an interface
between microscopic processes in fault zones and macroscopic processes
of a fault system, and the plate motion connects diverse crustal
activities with mantle dynamics. An ambitious challenge for us is to
develop realistic computer simulation models for the complete earthquake
process on the basis of microphysics in fault zones and macro-dynamics
in the crust-mantle system. Recent advances in high performance computer
technology and numerical simulation methodology are bringing this vision
within reach. The book consists of two parts and presents a
cross-section of cutting-edge research in the field of computational
earthquake physics. Part I includes works on microphysics of rupture and
fault constitutive laws, and dynamic rupture, wave propagation and
strong ground motion. Part II covers earthquake cycles, crustal
deformation, plate dynamics, and seismicity change and its physical
interpretation. Topics in Part II range from the 3-D simulations of
earthquake generation cycles and interseismic crustal deformation
associated with plate subduction to the development of new methods for
analyzing geophysical and geodetical data and new simulation algorithms
for large amplitude folding and mantle convection with
viscoelastic/brittle lithosphere, as well as a theoretical study of
accelerated seismic release on heterogeneous faults, simulation of
long-range automaton models of earthquakes, and various approaches to
earthquake predicition based on underlying physical and/or statistical
models for seismicity change.
