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9 780128 145807 ISBN 978-0-12-814580-7 DEVELOPMENTS IN STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY AND TECTONICS SERIES EDITOR MUKHERJEE SERIES EDITOR: SOUMYAJIT MUKHERJEE THE OMEGA-THEORY A New Physics of Earthquakes THE OMEGA-THEORY A New Physics of Earthquakesists THE OMEGA THEORY A New Physics of Earthquakes JURE ŽALOHAR ŽALOHAR JURE ŽALOHAR DEVELOPMENTS IN STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY AND TECTONICS 2 DEVELOPMENTS IN STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY AND TECTONICS 2 2 Presents an all-new theory of the fundamental underlying physics of earthquakes and the faulting processes in the Earth’s crust • Brings together twenty years of research in the field of geophysics and attacks the problem within the framework of, but going beyond, the Cosserat continuum theory • Heavily tested on tens of natural examples and numerical tests • Includes 350 color figures and graphs • Spans across many fields of theoretical physics and geology, such as plate tectonics, synchronization of chaotic systems, solitons and fractals, mathematical set theory, and quantum mechanics Earthquake prediction remains one of the most important unsolved problems in geophysics. Numerous studies, discussions, and critical reviews have been published, with mixed and unconvincing results. Failure to recognize a pattern to allow for reliable earthquake prediction has led many scientists to believe that this problem is impossible to solve. In the last decades, however, generations of seismologists, geophysicists, and geologists have accumulated enough knowledge and information to allow for the reformulation and solution of this essential problem. The result is this new book, The Omega-Theory: A New Physics of Earthquakes, which offers a unifying mathematical framework to describe and answer the most pressing and unexamined dilemmas of earthquake sequences. Those in the fields of seismology and geology are currently faced with a vast and complex mathematical structure, involving numerous new natural laws and theorems; this book has interpreted this structure as a new physical theory and a new paradigm. The Omega-Theory opens a new chapter in our understanding of the tectonic and seismic processes within the Earth, and is an essential resource for future researchers in the fields of structural geology, physics of the Earth, and seismology. Dr. Žalohar is a physicist and geologist working as an independent researcher, giving scientific and philosophical lectures at various institutions. He obtained his PhD from the University of Ljubljana in 2008. Dr. Žalohar’s main research fields are physics of faults and earthquakes, stratigraphy, and palaeontology. Among his most important achievements are a series of articles on the Cosserat mechanics of faulting for the Journal of Structural Geology and the development of the T-TECTO software for fault-slip data and earthquakes analysis, which is now recognized and used by structural geologists around the world. During numerous field trips observing tectonic structures in the Alps, he and his colleagues made important paleontological discoveries, including identifying the oldest and only-known fossils of seahorses, pipehorses, and pygmy pipehorses, new fossil sites with complete skeletons of Triassic reptilians, and fish and other biota from the Tethys Ocean. His most important contribution to science is the discovery of a new physical theory of earthquakes that brings about a redefinition and solution of the earthquake prediction problem.
