Variation of the scaling characteristics of temporal and spatial distribution of earthquakes in Caucasus

• Slow cycles in long-range correlations of earthquakes space and time distribution.
• Antiphase variations in long-range correlations in spatial and temporal domains.
• Decrease in temporal correlations occurs at increased seismic energy release.
• Increase in spatial correlations occurs at decreased seismic energy release.

In the present study we investigated the character of variation of long-range correlations features in earthquakes’ temporal and spatial distribution in Caucasus. Scaling exponents of data sets of interearthquakes time intervals (waiting times) and interearthquakes distances were calculated by method of Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA). Scaling exponent values were calculated for time windows with consecutive 500 data as well as for 5 year long sliding windows.It was shown that scaling exponents calculated for different windows vary in a wide range indicating variable behavior from antipersistent to persistent type. In the overwhelming majority of cases scaling exponents manifest persistent behavior both in the earthquakes time and spatial distributions. Close to 0.5 and antipersistent scaling exponents were obtained for the time periods when the strongest regional earthquakes occurred.We observed slow trend in long-range correlation features variation for the considered time period.