GLOBAL SEISMIC SYMPTOMS OF LITHOSPHERE INSTABILITY AT THE APPROACH OF THE DECEMBER 26, 2004, SUMATRA-ANDAMAN MEGAEARTHQUAKE

Abstract

Interaction between earthquakes at distances significantly exceeding their geometrical sizes is an important property of the Earth’s seismic dynamics. Many researchers have investigated examples of such interactions on local and global scales. Long-range interaction does not mean direct transfer of stresses from one earthquake to another, but most likely a sequence of large-scale processes in the Earth’s interior. Long-range interaction is a general feature of many complex hierarchic dynamic systems. The study of this phenomenon is important both for understanding processes occurring in the lithosphere and for predicting future strong earthquakes.