A recent development of the Earth Simulator super parallel computer has made it possible to realized realistic 3-D simulations of high-frequency seismic wave propagations on a regional scale. Paralleling this development, the deployment of dense networks of strong ground motion instruments in Japan (K-NET and KiK-net) has now made it possible to directly visualize regional seismic wave propagat...

1. Distribution of earthquakes on the Earth 2. Reasons for earthquakes in the Earth's crust 3. Types of the Earth's lithosphere and Plate Tectonics 4. Types of seismic waves 5. Measurement of the size of an earthquake 6. The models of earthquake source 7. Nature of deep (mantle) earthquakes 8. Earthquake recurrence interval study 9. Earthquakes as a motor for geodynamic processes 10. Correspond...

Space-time clustering is the most striking departure of large earthquakes occurrence process from randomness. These clusters are usually described ex-post by a physics-based model in which earthquakes are triggered by Coulomb stress changes induced by other surrounding earthquakes. Notwithstanding the popularity of this kind of modeling, its ex-ante skill in terms of earthquake predictability g...

Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment is requiring an increasingly broad compilation of earthquake sources. Fault systems are often divided into characteristic ruptures based on geometric features such as bends or steps, though events such as the 2002 M 7.9 Denali, and 2011 M 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquakes raise the possibility that earthquakes can involve subsidiary faults and/or rupture through...

G reat earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 or larger occur infrequently. For a nearly 40-y period after the February of 1965 M 8.7 Rat Islands, Alaska earthquake, the world did not experience a single great earthquake; however, in the 7 y since late December of 2004, there have been a barrage of five great earthquakes. These earthquakes include the 2004 M 9.1 Sumatra, Indonesia earthquake; the 2005 M ...