An earthquake is a sudden movement of the ground caused by the release of

elastic energy stored in the Earth�s Crust. It causes vibrations that propagate
outwards from the source as seismic waves. A similar phenomenon occurs � on
a different scale � in structural materials under loading and is called Acoustic
Emission (AE), see Figs. 1�3 [1�3]. While the techniques used in seismology
have been well developed over the years, the AE technique has not been fully
defined. It can be shown, on the other hand, that the AE method can utilize
different seismic analysis techniques, including the localization of the sources
or the inversion of source parameters [4�6].
During the last few years, numerous experimental techniques have been
employed to evaluate fracture processes, and a number of modelling approaches
have been developed to predict fracture behaviour. The non-destructive method
based on the Acoustic Emission (AE) technique has proved highly effective,
especially to check and measure the damage phenomena that take place inside
a structure subjected to mechanical loading. The acoustic emission is a consequence
of micro-cracks forming and propagating in the material and should thus
provide an indirect measure of the damage accumulating in the system. For this
reason, AE is often used as a non-destructive tool in material testing and
evaluation
[7,8]. Beside these practical applications, understanding the statistical
properties ofAE has become a challenging theoretical problem. The distribution
of AE amplitudes follows a power-law, suggesting an interpretation in terms
of critical phenomena and scaling theories [9�13]. This behaviour has been
observed in several materials such as concrete, masonry and rocks, to name just
a few (Figs. 4�6).
On the other hand, another common and familiar example of this behaviour
is the occurrence of earthquakes in a particular seismic zone, where the event
amplitudes span from the smallest almost imperceptible vibrations of the crust to
the largest destructive catastrophic events (Fig. 7). TheAE monitoring technique
is similar to the one employed in earthquake control, where seismic waves reach