A few earthquake conundrums resolved

Several fundamental questions (conundrums) about earthquakes and rocks are inexplicable in terms of conventional sub-critical geophysics. These questions have become so familiar that they are now generally accepted as the way earthquakes and rocks behave and are not recognised as presenting conceptual difficulties. These conundrums are resolved by a new understanding of fluid-rock deformation, where fluid-saturated microcracks in almost all rocks are so closely-spaced they verge on failure and hence are highly-compliant critical-systems which impose a range of new properties on conventional sub-critical geophysics. This new understanding of fluid-rock deformation, this New Geophysics, allows earthquakes to be stress-forecast, and has implications and applications to many solid Earth developments.

► New Geophysics (NG) is a new understanding of deformation in a crack-critical Earth. ► NG explains the difference between a stressed and an unstressed rock. ► NG explains how rocks store the enormous stress-energy released by large earthquakes. ► NG explains why initial stress released by earthquakes is small and independent of M. ► NG explains how rough interfaces can slip when constrained by enormous pressures.