In the last two decades, considerable observational and theoretical work has been devoted to
all aspects of earthquake prediction research, for solving fundamental questions concerning
the mechanics of fault systems, as well as for answering questions regarding earthquake
hazard.
The european natural observatory of the Corinth Rift (
eu
), a very rapidly
deforming area (opening strain rate of ~10
-
6
/yr) where one or more earthquakes with
magnitudes above 6 are expected in the coming decades provides a framework in which the
mechanics of faults can be studied in details. It is densely ins
trumented and provides an
exceptional data base (seismological, GPS and strain data).
All the prediction approches in the litterature rely on some probalistic description of
earthquake generation and timing, through empirical laws guided, or structured, by
some
simplification of the underlying physical process. This requires that relevant physical models
and observational constraints are put at the core of any probabilistic law seismic hazardassessment. Based on numerical modeling of the CRL region with realistic rheology and fault
geometry, our objective is to constrain these key mechanical parameters by improving our
ability to model the mechanics of faults in the Corinth Rift as well as their interaction