  We propose a new approach for generating synthetic earthquake catalogues
based on the physics of soft glasses. The continuum approach produces
yield-stress materials based on Lattice-Boltzmann simulations. We show that, if
the material is stimulated below yield stress, plastic events occur, which have
strong similarities with seismic events. Based on a suitable definition of
displacement in the continuum, we show that the plastic events obey a
Gutenberg-Richter law with exponents similar to those for real earthquakes. We
further find that average acceleration, energy release, stress drop and
recurrence times scale with the same exponent. The approach is fully
self-consistent and all quantities can be calculated at all scales without the
need of ad hoc friction or statistical laws. We therefore suggest that our
approach may lead to new insight into understanding of the physics connecting
the micro and macro scale of earthquakes.
