Abstract: Based on geophysical prospecting, especially on magnetotelluric sounding (MT),a close relation among the conductivity layers in the crust and upper mantle, the deep-seated fluids in the crust and the earthquake distribution in China's continent has been found. The conductive mechanisms of the crustal conductive layer (CCL) and the supercritical aqueous fluid are discussed. A model called the potential-kinetic energy transformation is presented. In this model, the crustal deep-seated fluid evolution is considered to play the most important role in the seismogenic process. Finally the application of this model to earthquake prediction is introduced in this paper.

Key words: Seismogenesis, Crustal conductive layer, Earthquake prediction, Deep-seated fluids