A publication of the Advanced Simulation & Computing Division, NA-121.2, NNSA Defense Programs
September 2008
NA-ASC-500-08—Issue 8
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Earthquake Simulations Broaden Scientific Understanding
Using the ASC BlueGene/L supercomputer, Lawrence Livermore’s modern simulation tool, Wave Propagation Program (WPP), helps seismologists and earthquake engineers understand the ground motion hazard posed by earthquakes and other seismic events. The code computes ground motions for any seismic event in the San Francisco Bay Area region using a 3D geology/seismic wave-speed model of the area provided by the U.S. Geological Survey. Moderate earthquakes, such as the magnitude 5.6 quake that rocked the Calaveras Fault near the town of Alum Rock (east of San Jose) on October 30, 2007, can be used to validate earthquake simulations by testing the 3D model and allowing scientists to constrain uncertainties for large, less frequent earthquakes.
The image shows the damaging shear-wave motions from the Alum Rock earthquake simulated with the WPP code. The image shows shaking intensity (orange being the most intense) from a point of view below the surface with east and west reversed. Note that shaking is most intense in the Santa Clara Valley around San Jose and that the wave fronts spread at different speeds to seismic wave-speed variations.
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