Laboratory Model of Self-Organized Criticality Parametric Modulation and the Results Of Experiments for Applications in Seismology

Abstract

The paper represents the laboratory model of self-organized criticality parametric modulation for applications in seismology. The main characteristics of the Earth's seismic process show that earthquakes should be attributed to phenomena of self-organizing criticality. In accordance with this representation, an earthquake, or the energy discharge of fault, is an unpredictable phenomenon determined by entire system development. But periodic tension modulation can synchronize the triggering moments and change the behavior of system near the critical state. Earthquake statistics of Caucasus demonstrates such changes caused by tidal periodicities and indicates the existence of a class of natural phenomena of self-organized criticality with parametric modulation of criticality conditions. This class of phenomena was investigated and its existence was confirmed on the laboratory model by the use of sand avalanches in cylinder with modulated rotation. This model can serve as a basis for creating an idea of partial predictability of self-criticality. We represent the model and the results of criticality parametric modulation experiments.