3-D Seismic Wave Propagation on a Global and Regional Scale: Earthquakes, Fault Zones, Volcanoes

Heiner Igel (), Gilbert Brietzke, Michael Ewald, Miko Fohrmann, Gunnar Jahnke, Tarje Nissen-Meyer, Johannes Ripperger, Max Strasser, Markus Treml and Guoquan Wang
Additional contact information
Heiner Igel: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Gilbert Brietzke: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Michael Ewald: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Miko Fohrmann: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Gunnar Jahnke: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Tarje Nissen-Meyer: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Johannes Ripperger: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Max Strasser: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Markus Treml: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section
Guoquan Wang: Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics Section

A chapter in High Performance Computing in Science and Engineering, Munich 2002, 2003, pp 353-362 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract For computational seismology the present years are extremely exciting. The reason is, that with the current supercomputer technology, the frequency band in which seismic waves are observed following regional or global earthquakes, can be simulated numerically for realistic 3D earth models for the first time. Depending on the spatial scales under consideration (whole planet, a sedimentary basin at risk from local earthquakes, a volcano with high risk for future eruptions) this will lead to considerable improvement (1) in the understanding of the structural properties (e.g. the Earth’s mantle, the inside of a sedimentary basin or a volcano) and (2) in forecasting strong ground motion for realistic earthquake scenarios. The latter point may have considerable long-term societal benefits, as the short-term prediction of large earthquakes seems out of sight. During the first phase of this project some of the highest-resolution simulations ever done were carried out with important implications for future directions in computational seismology. The most important scientific results can be summarized as: (1) 3D Simulations of several earthquakes in the Cologne Basin in Germany demonstrate that the main characteristics of ground motion (e.g. peak motion amplitude, shaking duration) are successfully predicted through numerical simulations; (2) The low seismic velocities inside active faults (e.g. San Andreas Fault, California) may act as an amplifier for ground motion. This has implications for buildings in the vicinity of faults; (3) Large scale simulations of strong earthquakes in subduction zones show that the local 3D structure at depth strongly influences the waves propagating to the surface. Ignoring this will lead to severe misinterpretations. (4) Including topography to understand wave propagation inside volcanoes is crucial. Our simulations demonstrate the scattering effects due to topography. If we want to understand the state of a volcanic system prior to eruptions from seismic waves these effects have to be taken into account.

Keywords: Ground Motion; Fault Zone; Subduction Zone; Large Earthquake; Seismic Wave Propagation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-642-55526-8_28

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783642555268

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-55526-8_28

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Books from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().