SCEC Award Number 13182 View PDF
Proposal Category Workshop Proposal
Proposal Title SCEC SFSA Workshop Proposal The Ventura Special Fault Study Area: Towards an understanding of the potential for and possible effects of large-magnitude thrust earthquakes in the central-western Transverse Ranges
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
James Dolan University of Southern California John Shaw Harvard University Thomas Rockwell San Diego State University
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities 1, 4 SCEC Groups Geology, FARM, USR
Report Due Date 09/15/2013 Date Report Submitted N/A
Project Abstract
 The SCEC Ventura Special Fault Study Area (SFSA) was established to promote interdisciplinary science that seeks to better understand the prospects for large, multi-segment thrust fault earthquakes in southern California, and to assess and address the hazards that these potentially devastating earthquakes may pose. The goals of the August 15-16, 2013 workshop were bring together a highly interdisciplinary group of SCEC scientists to discuss Ventura SFSA research plans and recommend specific tasks that need to be accomplished to reach these goals in the fields of geology, paleoseismology, exploration geophysics, seismology, tectonic geodesy, rupture dynamics, strong ground motion forecasting, and tsunami studies. Within the time frame of SCEC4, the overall goals for the Ventura SFSA Project are to determine if a record of large, multi-segment thrust fault earthquakes exists in southern California, and to quantify the hazards associated with such events.
Intellectual Merit The basic goals of the Ventura SFSA are to:

(1) Test and refine the record of large multi-segment ruptures on the Ventura fault system along strike, and extend the record back in time.

(2) Determine how slip and deformation are distributed in these large, multi-segment ruptures, and how might this vary over multiple earthquake cycles.

(3) Characterize the inter-seismic strain accumulation along the Ventura thrust system.

(4) Define a viable set of multi-segment rupture scenarios with dynamic rupture modeling, and evaluate these using the paleo-earthquake record.

(5) Define the intensity, duration, and distribution of strong ground shaking and tsunami run-up that might be anticipated for these events.

(6) Establish if there is a tsunami record associated with these events, and assess these hazards.
Broader Impacts The Ventura region offers an excellent natural laboratory to investigate the potential for multi-segment thrust fault earthquakes in the western Transverse Ranges and the hazards that they pose. These hazards include the prospect of severe ground shaking due to the extreme depth of the Ventura basin (>12 km), as well as the potential for strong regional tsunamis when the ruptures extend offshore. The proposed studies under the Ventura SFSA framework will help to elucidate these hazards and will thus be of basic importance for future seismic hazard assessment in the densely populated southern California region.
Exemplary Figure not applicable. There are no figures in this workshop report.