(Login DEPREM) Forum Owner Posted Mar 22, 2005 5:25 AM
Q:1) Are earthquakes the only mechanism in which stresses are generated and released?
A:1) I believe that there are other factors that contribute to the generation and/or release of stress. One might be the behavior of the mantle beneath. This includes the convection regimes and the distribution of mass within the earth.
Q:2) Could we estimate the stresses in the earth accurately? In other words, how accurate is the “Coulomd stress change” map that the author presented in his paper? Are they accurate enough for the purpose of earthquake forecasting?
A:2) I am not sure how accurate these maps are because I don’t know the method used to generate them, however, the author did mention that he believes that very small change in stress regime (as little as 1/8 of the pressure required to inflate a car’s tire!!) could trigger as earthquake. If that is the case, then could these maps be reliable for the purpose of earthquake forecasting? I tend to believe otherwise.