SCEC Award Number 25273 View PDF
Proposal Category Collaborative Research Project (Multiple Investigators / Institutions)
Proposal Title Advancing Simulations of Sequences of Earthquakes and Aseismic Slip (SEAS)
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Eric Dunham Stanford University Taeho Kim Stanford University Brittany Erickson University of Oregon
SCEC Milestones C1,2,3-1 SCEC Groups FARM, SDOT, RC
Report Due Date 03/15/2026 Date Report Submitted 03/13/2026
Project Abstract
 Modeling earthquake source processes is one of SCEC's goals. Our project develops benchmark problems for verifying computational methods for simulating Sequences of Earthquakes and Aseismic Slip (SEAS). SEAS models capture tectonic loading (or strength changes from fluid pressure transients) and aseismic slip that leads to earthquake nucleation and dynamic ruptures. We use these models to understand processes and observables such as aseismic deformation, nucleation, ground shaking, recurrence times, and magnitudes. In 2025, we presented benchmark problem BP6 (2D fluid injection) at the 2025 SCEC meeting and collected and analyzed results for BP7 (3-D repeating dynamic earthquakes) from 15 research groups. We developed a new benchmark problem on 3-D fluid injection (BP8). We started collaborating with CRESCENT to utilize its code verification platform. We conducted a public survey to gauge interest and readiness for future benchmark problems (BP10 & BP11), gathering responses from 20+ research groups.
Intellectual Merit Models of earthquake source processes link observations to predictive understanding. These computational models are complex and require community code verification exercises on standardized benchmark problems to ensure that modeling codes are correct. Our group develops these benchmark problems, gathers simulation output data, performs quantitative comparisons, and reports results at international meetings and in publications. This year, we studied repeating earthquakes in 3D and fluid injection in 2D, and developed two new benchmarks on 3D fluid injection and 2D dipping faults with depth-dependent stresses. These modeling capabilities are essential for understanding naturally occurring earthquakes, earthquake swarms, and induced seismicity.
Broader Impacts The SEAS initiative has grown in its sixth year at SCEC, with strides in community building, developing new code verification benchmarks, organizing workshops, and promoting visibility of SEAS modeling in the SCEC community and beyond. For all our code verification efforts, the workshops have proven to be particularly valuable in providing an ideal platform for all modelers to share and follow recent scientific progress in the field, discuss details in benchmark design/results, and collectively decide the directions of our future efforts, with considerable inputs from students and early career scientists.
Project Participants Taeho Kim, Eric M. Dunham - Stanford University
Brittany Erikson - University of Oregon
Prithvi Thakur - Brown University
Pierre Romanet - Geoazur, France
Exemplary Figure Figure 1
Linked Publications

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