SCEC Award Number 06020 View PDF
Proposal Category Individual Proposal (Integration and Theory)
Proposal Title Earthquake Surface Slip Distributions and Fault Trace Patterns: Constraints on the Mechanics of the Earthquake Process
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Steven G. Wesnousky University of Nevada, Reno
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities SCEC Groups FARM, USR, Fault Systems
Report Due Date N/A Date Report Submitted N/A
Project Abstract
The last SCEC meeting brought to my attention that there is now clear interest and significant importance being attached to the role of fault geometry on the earthquake rupture process. During the last few years I have been slowly working away at synthesizing published observations that well-describe the mapped fault trace and slip distribution of historical surface rupture earthquakes, of which there now number more than 30. Though my research activities during the last number of years have taken me away from direct involvement with SCEC [e.g., Caskey et al., 2005; Kumar et al., 2005; Wesnousky, 2005a; Wesnousky, 2005b; Wesnousky et al., 2005], this particular effort seems most appropriate to be under the fold of SCEC and I would again reinitiate interaction and collaboration with the SCEC research
community. So specifically, the proposal herein is to collect, analyze, and present in a uniform manner all previously mapped and documented rupture traces and surface slip distributions for all historical earthquakes. The resulting collection of observations I am confident will serve as a source of reference as well as a SCEC product to the broad sector of scientists and user community involved with SCEC. Additionally, the data set will allow me and others within SCEC to systematically (rather than anecdotally) consider the constraints or input these data have on issues ranging from estimation
of potential ground displacements, the dynamics of earthquake rupture,
to the potential relationship of fault geometry to rupture directivity.