SCEC Award Number 15181 View PDF
Proposal Category Collaborative Proposal (Integration and Theory)
Proposal Title M 7.x SIV-Benchmark Simulations for greater L.A. Region
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Paul Mai King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia) Jean-Paul Ampuero California Institute of Technology Chen Ji University of California, Santa Barbara
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities 3e, 6b, 6e SCEC Groups CS, SIV, Seismology
Report Due Date 03/15/2016 Date Report Submitted 11/14/2016
Project Abstract
 This project aimed at formulating the next SIV-benchmark exercise, and to conduct all neces-sary preparatory and simulation work needed to distribute various synthetic data sets for this new scenario. During the 2014 SIV workshop, held in conjunction with the 2014 SCEC Annual Meeting, it was decided that the next SIV benchmark would be an M 7-7.4 thrust-faulting rup-ture in Southern California, most likely in the L.A. region. The scenario defined here is a rupture linking the Puente Hills blind thrust fault and the Whittier fault. This is a potential scenario in-cluded in the UCERF3 forecast.
The planned activities involved defining the macroscopic parameters of the rupture(s) (loca-tion, dimension, magnitude) and the space-time evolution of the rupture process over the as-sumed fault plane(s), and then (a) computing near-field strong motion synthetics (in the 3D SCEC CVM), (b) teleseismic synthetics, and (c) static displacements (GPS / InSAR). A kinemat-ic source model was generated for the earthquake scenario and further considerations were iden-tified for generating synthetics. In addition, the SIV group completed milestone publications pre-senting the SIV project and results. These included comparison of SIV results based on new quantitative methods and new standards for documenting finite-fault earthquake rupture models.
The project involved three SCEC SIV teams (KAUST, Caltech, and UCSB) plus an invited guest scientist (Frantisek Gallovic, Charles University, Prague).
Intellectual Merit The SIV activities aim at improving our understanding of uncertainties in the estimation of finite-fault source properties of large earthquakes, and discrepancies among different teams and methods. They foster development of advanced capabilities in the solution of inverse problems and their uncertainty quantification.
Broader Impacts The scenario developed here for the next SIV benchmark corresponds to a potential earthquake scenario in south-ern California included in the UCERF3 forecast, and hence can help SCEC seismologists prepare for future earth-quake response. This project involved collaboration between SCEC and international teams.
Exemplary Figure Figure 2: Example of kinematic source model generated for the next SIV benchmark. The scenar-io is for a M7.2 rupture linking the Puente Hills and Whittier faults. Slip and asperities (left) and slip-rate snapshots (right) on the Puente Hills fault (top) and Whittier fault (bottom).