Spectral and informational analysis of seismicity: An application to the 1996–2012 seismicity of the Northern Caucasus–Azerbaijan part of the greater Caucasus–Kopet Dag region

The time series analysis of seismic sequences needs proper methodologies that allow us to capture the main features of the time dynamics of earthquakes. Among these features, the identification of periodicities along with the quantification of their intensity represents an important task, concerning the detection of regular dynamical behaviours, with clear implications for earthquake prediction. In the present study, we applied three different methods to investigate the time dynamics of the seismic activity of the Northern Caucasus–Azerbaijan part of the Greater Caucasus–Kopet Dag region. We analysed the monthly number of earthquakes which occurred between 1996 and 2012 by means of: (i) the robust estimation of the periodogram, (ii) the singular spectrum analysis (SSA), and (iii) the Fisher–Shannon method. Two main significant periodicities are detected: 102 months and 20 months. The first corresponds actually to the long-term variation of the monthly seismic activity of the area, while the second represents the more intense cyclic component. Periodicities of 7 and 30 months are also identified, but with a lower intensity than the 20-month periodicity. The Fisher–Shannon method has revealed that the long-term variation of the series is also characterized by higher organization and lower degree of disorder. The present study shows how the application of methods from statistical mechanics could contribute to unveil dynamical features in seismicity. •The periodic behaviour of the earthquakes in the Northern Caucasus region is analysed.•The methods of periodogram, SSA and the Fisher–Shannon method are used.•Two main significant periodicities are detected at 102 months and 20 months.•The long-term variation of the seismic series is characterized by higher organization.