Journal of Statistical Physics, Vol. 72, Nos. 1/2, 1993, p. 405-412.
The dynamics of a general class of two-dimensional cellular automaton slider-block models of earthquake faults is studied as a function of the failure rules that determine slip and the nature of the failure threshold. Scaling properties of clusters of failed sites imply the existence of a mean-field spinodal line in systems with spatially random failure thresholds, whereas spatially uniform failure thresholds produce behavior reminiscent of self-organized critical behavior. This model can describe several classes of faults, ranging from those that only exhibit creep to those that produce large events.