SCEC's basic science goal is to understand the physics of the Southern California fault system and develop a system-level model that can predict key aspects of earthquake behavior. Southern California's network of several hundred active faults forms a superb natural laboratory for the study of earthquake physics, and its seismic, geodetic, and geologic data are among the best in the world. The major research issues of earthquake science are true system-level problems -- they require an inter-disciplinary, multi-institutional approach that considers the interactions among many fault-system elements. SCEC Research projects are supported on a year-to-year basis by a competitive, collaboration-building process that involves extensive interactions among 14 working groups, a Joint Planning Committee with the USGS, the SCEC Board of Directors, and an External Advisory Council.

SCEC Reports and Proposals

Search Reports from SCEC-Funded Research Projects

Searchable abstract volumes:

Annual Meetings: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | more...

SCEC Animations and Movies

Crustal Motion Map, Version 3.0

Video: High Performance Computing at the Southern California Earthquake Center

PetaSHA (Petascale Cyberfacility for Physics-based Seismic Hazard Analysis)

CSEP (Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability)

CME (Community Modeling Environment)

WGCEP (Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities)

SoSAFE (Southern San Andreas Fault Evaluation)

Other Special Projects and Initiatives

Interdisciplinary Focus Areas

Unified Structural Representation - Fault and Rupture Mechanics - Crustal Deformation Modeling - Lithospheric Architecture and Dynamics - Earthquake Forecasting and Predictability - Ground Motion Prediction - Seismic Hazard and Risk Analysis

Disciplinary Activities

Seismology - Tectonic Geodesy - Earthquake Geology

Past Research

SCEC2 (2002-2007):

Focus Groups
Disciplinary Committees
Short-Term Objectives

Implementation Interface
SCIGN (Southern California Integrated GPS Network)
SCEC Phase III Report
LARSE II
Borderland Working Group

• Databases, Maps, and other resources
• SCEC Special Publication Series
• Bibliographic Database of papers published in research journals based on SCEC funded research