Physicist in Search of the Theory of Earthquakes

Abstract

Earthquake prediction is often considered the Holy Grail of seismology and earthquake science. However, earthquake research can be motivated both by challenge, when asking about seismic risk or hazard, or how lives could be saved, and by curiosity, when asking about the physics behind the observed patterns of seismicity. In this brief review, I focus on the second, cognitive aspect of earthquake science. I wonder how interesting seismicity and earthquake physics can be for a theoretical physicist turned seismologist.