“…El-Isa and Eaton, 2014;Wyss, 1973) the b-value has been widely used to characterize seismicity in different regions in the world (e. g. Kagan, 1999;Utsu, 2002), and it has been proposed that b is related to the fractal dimension (Aki, 1981;Hirata, 1989;Wyss et al, 2004). There are many studies that relate b to the level of stress and observe changes in its value before large earthquakes (DeSalvio & Rudolph, 2021;El-Isa & Eaton, 2014;Enescu & Ito, 2001;Frohlich & Davis, 1993;Godano et al, 2024;Hu et al, 2024;Li & Chen, 2021;Nanjo et al, 2012;Scholtz, 2015;Schorlemmer et al, 2005;Utsu, 2002;Wang, 2016;Wyss, 1973;Wyss et al, 2004;and many others), which gives b an important role in earthquake hazard estimation and forecasting.…”