Start of funding 01.01.2009

Strong ground motion and seismic hazard in the Los Angeles Basin

Prof. Dr. Heiner Igel
Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich
Fakultät für Geophysik - Department Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften

Prof. Dr. Kim Olsen
San Diego State University
Department of Geological Sciences



In the absence of any hope to predict earthquakes the accurate simulation of earthquake scenarios and the specific strong ground motion to be expected in regions like Los Angeles, Tokyo, San Francisco is one of the key instruments to mitigate earthquake related damages. Modern supercomputers are now allowing us to calculate realistic scenarios but one of the key challenges is to properly account for the geometrical complexity of topography, internal interfaces, and faults. Tetrahedral computational grids have a lot of advantages in coping with such complexities compared to hexahedral grids that are now standard with methods such as finite differences or spectral elements. The specific goal of this cooperation is to perform high-resolution simulations of earthquake scenarios in the Los Angeles Area and extract shaking hazard relevant information.

Final report:
The observation and analysis of rotational ground motions is a new field in seismology. With BaCaTeC we could initiate the cooperation with the University of California San Diego (UCSD). A so-called ring laser was installed at the Geophysical Observatory at Pinon Flat that is now routinely observing rotational motions induced by earthquakes and the oceans. BaCaTeC resources were used to do technical updates and to initiate a proposal at the National Research Foundation with the aim to extend the technical setup of the system. We installed a permanent data transfer from the Californian sensor to the data centre of the geophysical observatory at Fürstenfeldbruck. Now the observations are available online in real time. The BaCaTeC project contributed to the successful ERC Advanced Grant that was awarded to the proponent in 2013 and will continue the research in this field.