Evolution of the Tohoku earthquake aftershocks in the framework of the phenomenological theory of aftershocks

Abstract: The aftershocks of the Tohoku earthquake are analyzed in light of the phenomenological theory of aftershocks. The theory is based on the concept of an earthquake source as a dynamic system, the state of which is described by a deactivation coefficient. The concept of the proper time of the source is used, which in general differs from world time. The "underground clock" and the clock showing world time have been synchronized. For an observer using the underground impacts as time markers, the flow of world time will be uneven. The admissibility and effectiveness of the idea of this specific relativity of time is shown. Three phases of relaxation of the source after the main shock were discovered. In the initial phase, the deactivation coefficient is zero. In the main phase, the deactivation coefficient has a finite value and does not change over time. In the recovery phase, the deactivation coefficient changes randomly over time. The sharp transitions between phases resemble the phenomenon of bifurcation.