Identifying critical datasets and organizing the community of volunteers working to update and extend the Geological Framework Model (GFM) and Community Thermal Model (CTM)
Date: August 14-15, 2025
Location: University of California, Davis
Workshop Organizers: Mike Oskin (UC Davis), Andrew Zuza (UNR), Terry Lee (UNR), Laurent Montesi (U Maryland), Oliver Boyd (USGS), Yuehua Zeng (USGS), Sierra Rack (UC Davis)
SCEC Award: 25340
APPLICATION DUE: July 10, 2025
Attendance is limited to 40 in-person participants. The accepted participant list will be finalized by July 15, 2025.
Developing Community Earth Models (CEMs) is a central initiative of the Statewide California Earthquake Center (SCEC). With the recent expansion of SCEC’s statewide scope, there is an urgent need to broaden the geographical coverage of these models. Among the key components of the CEMs are the Geological Framework Model (GFM) and the Community Thermal Model (CTM), which serve as foundational elements for other models such as the Community Rheology Model (CRM). These models provide essential context for interpreting velocity, geodetic, and stress data.
SCEC’s success will, in part, be measured by its ability to extend these models and other CEM components into northern California. This joint GFM and CTM workshop aims to identify critical datasets and mobilize the community of volunteers dedicated to updating and expanding these models to encompass the entire state of California.
The SCEC GFM/CTM workshop will be held at the University of California, Davis, and will span a day and a half of presentations, discussions, and breakout sessions aimed at advancing Community Earth Models across California. Day 1 will feature model reviews, short contributed talks, and focused discussions on northern California geology and CTM methods. Day 2 will include a recap, an invited overview of the Community Fault Model, and breakout sessions to define next steps for the GFM and CTM.
We welcome applications from individuals across all disciplines relevant to the development of a geological framework or rheological model of California. We especially encourage participation from students, postdocs, and early career scientists. In-person attendance is limited to 40 participants who will be selected on the basis of their statement of interest and the potential of their contributions to the community rheology and geological framework development efforts. Limited travel support will be available. Applicants not accepted will receive a link to join the workshop via Zoom.
All times are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7).
Time | Agenda Item | Speaker | |
---|---|---|---|
09:00 - 09:15 | Session 1: Introduction, logistics, and objectives | ||
09:15 - 10:15 | Session 2: GFM/CTM reviews, comparison, and validation | ||
09:15 - 09:35 | A statewide geological framework | Mike Oskin & Sierra Rack (UC Davis) | |
09:35 - 09:45 | Discussion | ||
09:45 - 10:05 | Invited Talk TBD | Russ Graymer (USGS) | |
10:05 - 10:15 | Discussion | ||
10:15 - 10:30 | Break | ||
10:30 - 10:50 | Updates on the CTM | Terry Lee (UNR) | |
10:50 - 11:10 | Conterminous United States thermal models | Oliver Boyd (USGS) | |
11:10 - 11:30 | Community models: From geology to rheology | Laurent Montesi (U. Maryland) | |
11:20 - 11:30 | Discussion | ||
11:30 - 12:00 | General Discussion | ||
12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch Break | ||
13:00 - 15:45 | Session 3: Contributed talks | ||
13:00 - 13:06 | A geologically-consistent 3D thermal model of central and southern California | Ángela Maria Gómez Garcia | |
13:06 - 13:12 | Integrating 3D geologic framework information into Macrostrat's descriptive Earth model | Daven Quinn (UW– Madison) | |
13:12 - 13:18 | The geologic framework in the USGS National Crustal Model for seismic hazard studies | Oliver Boyd (USGS) | |
13:18 - 13:24 | 1:24:000 scale geologic mapping in the northern Walker Lane, NW Nevada. | Ryan Goldsby (UNR / Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology) | |
13:24 - 13:30 | Coupling diverse datasets to develop a 3D structural model of the San Joaquin Fold-and-Thrust Belt | Robert Welch (Loyola Marymount University/Harvard) | |
13:30 - 13:36 | Do borehole breakouts tell us about regional stress or local structures? | Sarah Titus (Carleton College) | |
13:36 - 13:42 | Work toward multiscale statewide CVM | Yehuda Ben-Zion (USC) | |
13:42 - 13:48 | Characterization of heat flow and fault zone properties in eastern California | Zachary Smith (UC Berkeley) | |
13:48 - 13:54 | Lower seismogenic depth model for western US earthquake ruptures | Yuehua Zeng (USGS) | |
13:54 - 14:15 | General discussion | ||
14:15 - 14:30 | Break | ||
14:30 - 15:45 | Contributed talks continued | ||
14:30 - 14:42 | Active tectonics in northern California and the evolving lithospheric thermal structure | Kevin Fulong (Penn State) | |
14:42 - 14:54 | TBD | Christie Rowe (UNR) | |
14:54 - 15:00 | Low-frequency earthquakes track the evolution of a captured slab fragment | Amanda Thomas (UC Davis) | |
15:00 - 15:06 | Nowcasting earthquakes: Ideas and methods | John Rundle (UC Davis) | |
15:06 - 15:12 | A rock-centric framework for earthquake dynamics and its applications in southern California | Binhao Wang (USC) | |
15:12 - 15:18 | Near-surface (<1-km depth) location and characterization of faulting with 30-minute surveys | John Louie (Terēan) | |
15:18 - 15:24 | SOH for seismc stations in ShakeAlert using deep learning | Fabia Terra (UC Berkeley) | |
15:24 - 15:45 | General discusion | ||
15:45 - 16:00 | Break | ||
16:00 - 17:30 | Session 4: Breakouts | ||
Breakout #1: Discussion of major lithotectonic units of northern CA | |||
Breakout #2: Discussion of CTM methods and comparisons |
CEMs are collaborative platforms featuring community-contributed data, models, and tools for earthquake system analysis. They enable 3D visualization, data exploration, sharing, and integrated modeling.
Community Rheology Model (CRM) Viewer
3D ductile rheology of lithosphere in S. California
Community Geodetic Model (CGM) Explorer
Earth surface displacement from GNSS and InSAR
Community Fault Model (CFM) Explorer
3D geometric representations of faults in California
Unified Community Velocity Model (UCVM)
seismic velocities for several California regions
Community Stress Model (CSM) Explorer
suite of models of stress and stressing rate
Geologic Slip Rate Database (GSRD)
geologic slip rates for CA, NV, and northern Mexico
Precariously Balanced Rock (PBR) Database
field-derived data for PBRs in California
All times are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7).
Time | Agenda Item | Speaker | |
---|---|---|---|
08:30 - 09:00 | Session 1: Introduction and recap of Day 1 | ||
09:00 - 10:00 | Session 2: Invited overview CFM | ||
09:00 - 09:25 | CFM and CEM | Scott Marshall (Appalachian State) | |
09:25 - 09:50 | Crescent community models | Becky Fildes (Western Washington University) | |
09:50 - 10:15 | The San Francisco Bay Area CVM | Evan Hirakawa (USGS) | |
10:00 - 11:30 | Session 3: Breakout discussions on either GFM or CTM | ||
Breakout #1: Moving forward with GFM | |||
Breakout #2: Moving forward with CTM | |||
11:30 - 12:00 | Wrap up | ||
12:00 | Workshop Adjourns |
The Statewide California Earthquake Center (SCEC) fosters a diverse and inclusive community where everyone feels safe, productive, and welcome. We expect all participants in SCEC-supported events to uphold this commitment by adhering to the SCEC Activities Code of Conduct.
The SCEC Annual Meeting brings together 400-500 participants worldwide to share breakthroughs, assess progress, and chart a collaborative path for earthquake science. All of the Center activities are presented, analyzed, and woven into a set of priorities for SCEC to pursue in the future.
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