SCEC Award Number 24103 View PDF
Proposal Category Collaborative Research Project (Multiple Investigators / Institutions)
Proposal Title Generation of Broadband Ground Motion from Dynamic Rupture Simulations: A Group Modeling Approach towards better Characterizing Seismic Hazard for Engineering Applications
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Kyle Withers United States Geological Survey Yongfei Wang Verisk Analytics Thomas Ulrich Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany) Alice-Agnes Gabriel University of California, San Diego Benchun Duan Texas A&M University Dunyu Liu University of Texas at Austin Jean-Paul Ampuero California Institute of Technology Elif Oral California Institute of Technology Luis Dalguer 3Q-Lab (Switzerland) Domniki Asimaki California Institute of Technology Frantisek Gallovic Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic)
SCEC Milestones C1,2,3-1, C1-2 SCEC Groups FARM, GM, RC
Report Due Date 03/15/2025 Date Report Submitted 03/28/2025
Project Abstract
 Our group uses several modeling techniques to generate ruptures across a range of earthquake magnitudes. We analyze ground motions across periods and distances, in addition to other intensity metrics, that expands our evaluation to consider sensitivity to multiple features of ground motions. We focus on the source here, as it relates to ground motion; thus, we constrain ground motion comparisons to near-source distances. We generate ruptures across a range of magnitudes, extending up to 3 Hz for strike-slip faults, with the goal of extending to other styles of faulting moving forward.

During the continuation of this project this year, we proceeded with a group effort to pursue the generation of realistic ground motions using a physics-based dynamic rupture technique. This effort expanded upon work in previous years, with a focus on 5 main subject areas: 1) expanding the database of dynamic rupture simulations by including more variation in initial rupture conditions, 2) organizing a database of our simulated ground motion records available in a public repository, 3) comparing records from our simulation results with empirical events, 4) incorporating a broader range of metrics to compare with empirical predictions, namely CAV, and 5) applying our database to study specific features that may impact components of the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model, such as variability and epistmeic uncertainty. This work is summarized in a draft article for submission to Seismological Research Letters in the near future (Withers et al., in prep.)
Intellectual Merit This project focuses on generating earthquake sources that produce synthetic ground motion relevant to engineering applications. Our group is a coordinated validation effort to model ground motions from dynamic ruptures. Our research focuses on improving models of earthquake rupture for applications to seismic hazard, utilizing a dynamic rupture approach to validate synthetically generated ground motion, that will both contribute to advancing knowledge in the area of dynamic rupture simulations, as well as understanding how seismic ground motions relate to complex earthquake ruptures.
Broader Impacts This project works towards improving models of earthquake rupture for applications to seismic hazards. This has a direct impact to the SCEC research community, especially on potential end users of simulations. The community will benefit from knowing how well the synthetics that result from dynamic rupture simulations compare to observed data or estimates from the ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs). The multiple dynamic ruptures approaches used here will ultimately help guide several engineering decisions, such as impacting descriptions of building code and design.
Project Participants PI's and listed Postdocs.
Exemplary Figure Figure 1a. Rupture speed, peak slip rate, and final slip for a chosen strike-slip event for each modeling group.
Linked Publications

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