Eur. Phys. J. B 77, 559-564 (2010)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2010-10503-4

Simulation study of the inhomogeneous Olami-Feder-Christensen model of earthquakes

Department of Earth and Space Science, Faculty of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, 560-0043, Japan

Corresponding author: ^a kawamura@ess.sci.osaka-u.ac.jp

Received: 29 June 2010
Revised: 17 August 2010
Published online: 12 October 2010

Abstract

Statistical properties of the inhomogeneous version of the Olami-Feder-Christensen (OFC) model of earthquakes is investigated by numerical simulations. The spatial inhomogeneity is assumed to be dynamical. Critical features found in the original homogeneous OFC model, e.g., the Gutenberg-Richter law and the Omori law are often weakened or suppressed in the presence of inhomogeneity, whereas the characteristic features found in the original homogeneous OFC model, e.g., the near-periodic recurrence of large events and the asperity-like phenomena persist.