Why did seismologists initially believe that an area that experienced an earthquake would not experience another earthquake?

Seismologists initially believed that an area that experienced an earthquake would not have another significant quake because of the concept of "elastic rebound theory," which suggested that after an earthquake, the stress along fault lines would be relieved, reducing the likelihood of subsequent quakes. Additionally, early seismic studies focused on the idea of seismicity being clustered in time and space, leading to the assumption that after a major event, the area had been "used up." This perspective was challenged as more data became available, revealing patterns of recurrence in seismic activity.