SCEC Award Number 17256 View PDF
Proposal Category Workshop Proposal
Proposal Title Earthquake Gates Incubator Workshop
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Michele Cooke University of Massachusetts Amherst Katherine Scharer United States Geological Survey Michael Oskin University of California, Davis
Other Participants
SCEC Priorities 5b, 2e, 3a SCEC Groups SAFS, Geology, CXM
Report Due Date 06/15/2018 Date Report Submitted 07/05/2017
Project Abstract
 SCEC4 established Special Fault Study Areas (SFSAs) to focus interdisciplinary research on geographically targeted problems of fault-system behavior. Launching from the success of the San Gorgonio Pass and Ventura SFSAs in SCEC4, we are evolving the SFSA concept in SCEC5 by establishing an Earthquake Gates Areas (EGA) initiative. This initiative represents a shift in the concepts of the Special Fault Study Areas to the investigation of the factors that can conditionally halt or pass earthquake ruptures and thus have a control on the probability of large, multi-segment or multi-fault ruptures. Specifically, Earthquake Gates Areas arise where fault complexity, rupture direction, near fault rheology, and prior earthquake history may lead to the likelihood of the gate being open or closed to through rupture.

On March 10th SCEC hosted a 1-day Earthquake Gates Incubator Workshop at the Kellogg Center at CalPoly Pamona. The workshop brought together investigators who proposed potential earthquake gate areas as well as investigators interested in participating in future EGAs. The agenda provided time for presentation of best-practices from past SFSAs, presentation of potential EGAs and time for group discussions and science planning. At the end of the workshop several viable earthquake gate areas were identified and groups encouraged to develop proposals for the earthquake gate area.
Intellectual Merit The exchange of ideas at the workshop facilitated discussion of how earthquake gate areas might impact our science.
Broader Impacts The incubator workshop served to organize the community for developing a strong science plan for the earthquake gate area initiative of SCEC5. A successful earthquake gates area science plan incorporates many different disciplines, enhances our understanding of conditional rupture at (and beyond) the earthquake gate area and addresses seismic hazards of the region. This is initiative is one highlight of the SCEC5 science plan.
Exemplary Figure Figure 1: Cartoon illustrating the concept of an earthquake gate that conditionally stops rupture.
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