From springandblock to earthquake prediction:an introduction to the burridgeknopoff model for the physics of earthquakes

The BurridgeKnopoff(BK) springblock model as a conceptual model for the physics of earthquakes has attracted much attention among physicists and seismologists since 1967,becoming an active research subject in the interdisciplinary approach to the physics of earthquakes. Certain characteristics of the BK model, such as deterministic chaos, selforganization, and solitary waves, among others, provide heuristic clues to the understanding of the nature of earthquakes and shed light on the problem of earthquake prediction. Due to its connection with several outstanding problems in the physics of complexity, the BK model has had significant impact not only on seismology but also on the physics of multibody systems.