Applications of fractal geometry to earthquake engineering

In the past two decades, Fractal Geometry developed as a new and powerful mathematical tool able to model a wide class of complex natural systems. Particularly, when joined with renormalization techniques, Fractal Geometry represents the natural and synthetic way to characterise the so-called self-organised processes, emphasising their universality and scaling laws. This new approach stimulated the development of physical and mechanical models able to explain both the spatial and the temporal fractality of the seismic activity. In the present paper, some applications of Fractal Geometry to seismology are described. They are not confined to the formulation of consistent geophysical models, but can be usefully extended to a more accurate seismic risk assessment and to the zonation procedure.