RELATIVITY OF TIME IN EARTHQUAKE PHYSICS

In this paper we develop an understanding of the proper time the earthquake source using catastrophic Tohoku earthquake. The paper is dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Einstein’s theory of relativity, but the dedication is symbolic, since we are investigating a purely non-relativistic geophysical object. We still found it possible to borrow the terms «time relativity» and «proper time» from the theory of relativity. The concept of the proper time of the source is developed by us within the framework of the phenomenological theory of earthquakes. The paper describes a procedure for measuring proper time using observation data of foreshocks and aftershocks. We synchronized the imaginary «underground clock» that counted the proper time and the clock that showed world time. The idea of a hypothetical underground clock turned out to be effective. We have shown that the proper time of the source flows unevenly relative to the flow of world time. Two phases of the evolution of the source before the main shock of the earthquake were discovered. This complements the picture of three-phase relaxation of the source after the main shock, which we established earlier. The uneven flow of proper time relative to world time indicates the non-stationarity of the source parameters. The overall conclusion is that the concept of the proper time of the source has enriched the possibilities of experimental study of earthquakes.