Publication Date:
2008-01-09
Description:
We have developed a community velocity model for the Pacific Northwest region from northern California to southern Canada and carried out the first 3D simulation of a Mw 9.0 megathrust earthquake rupturing along the Cascadia subduction zone using a parallel supercomputer. A long-period (〈0.5 Hz) source model was designed by mapping the inversion results for the December 26, 2004 Sumatra - Andaman earthquake (Han et al.,Science 313(5787):658-662, (2006) onto the Cascadia subduction zone. Representative peak ground velocities for the metropolitan centers of the region include 42 cm/s in the Seattle area and 8-20 cm/s in the Tacoma, Olympia, Vancouver, and Portland areas. Combined with an extended duration of the shaking up to 5 min, these long-period ground motions may inflict significant damage on the built environment, in particular on the highrises in downtown Seattle. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007.
Print ISSN:
1383-4649
Electronic ISSN:
1573-157X
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
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