Simulated Wave Propagation for the Mw5.4 Chino Hills, CA, Earthquake, Including a Statistical Model of Small-Scale Heterogeneities

Tim Scheitlin, Perry Domingo, Kim B. Olsen, William Sarvan, Yifeng Cui, Efecan Poyraz, Philip J. Maechling, & Thomas H. Jordan

Published November 2013, SCEC Contribution #2035

As ever-increasing computational resources allow earthquake scientists to push
the frequency limits of deterministic ground motion estimates higher,
understanding small-scale, near-surface heterogeneities becomes paramount.
The variation of the soil amplification over short distances (from tens to hundreds
of meters) is important for the design of smaller structures, including lifelines.
These small-scale heterogeneities may significantly affect ground motion in
geologic basins, and are not included in state-of-the-art Community Velocity
Models (CVMs). The density of current (and expected future) direct and indirect
measurements of these heterogeneities is insufficient to capture their variation in
sedimentary basins. SCEC researchers are working to improve ground motion
simulations for California by developing more realistic small-scale models of the
earth's near-surface structure.

Citation
Scheitlin, T., Domingo, P., Olsen, K. B., Sarvan, W., Cui, Y., Poyraz, E., Maechling, P. J., & Jordan, T. H. (2013, 11). Simulated Wave Propagation for the Mw5.4 Chino Hills, CA, Earthquake, Including a Statistical Model of Small-Scale Heterogeneities. Poster Presentation at SC2013 Visualization Showcase.