SCEC Award Number 14027 View PDF
Proposal Category Collaborative Proposal (Integration and Theory)
Proposal Title Embedded geodynamic stress model of the southern California crust
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Thorsten Becker University of Southern California Thomas Parsons United States Geological Survey
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities 2d, 1b SCEC Groups Geodesy, SDOT, CS
Report Due Date 03/15/2015 Date Report Submitted N/A
Project Abstract
 This project aims to couple Tom Parson's 3D FE model of the California crust to Becker's mantle flow computations. In the first project year, we identified relevant geodynamic flow models to test, extracted velocities and tractions throughout these models, and coupled them to the FE model via prescribing velocities. Preliminary results indicate that this approach is feasible, and we are in the process of exploring model predictions.
Intellectual Merit Once we are confident in the coupling procedure, we will be able to explore the role of topography, crustal heterogeneity and edge loading compared to basal mantle flow loading, and the predictions for crustal stress.
Broader Impacts Once we have constructed a reference model, we will submit it to the CSM project web page and compare with other models of crustal stress.
Exemplary Figure Preliminary stress prediction results coupling a FE model of the California lithosphere (cf. Parsons, 2006) with mantle flow tractions (cf. Becker et al., 2014).