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DOE OSTI · 1571735

Earthquake Ground Motion Simulations on the Sierra High-Performance Computing System

Rodgers, Arthur J.
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Abstract

Physics-based three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations of earthquake ground motions provide an alternative to reliance on limited and highly scattered empirical data and models for seismic hazard assessment. We performed fully 3D earthquake ground motion simulations on the Sierra and Lassen high-performance computing (HPC) platforms at Livermore Computing. These new HPC platforms feature graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration for improved performance. Ground motions were computed with SW4, a summation-by-parts finite difference code for anelastic wave propagation. SW4 was recently enhanced to run efficiently on GPU-accelerated platforms. We found that SW4 runs almost fifty (50) times faster in terms of node-hours on new GPU-accelerated platforms compared to conventional central processing unit (CPU) platforms with agreement of computed ground motion time-series to the full single precision which they are written. We focused on moment magnitude, M W , 7.0 earthquakes on the Hayward Fault. We were able to run three simulations resolving ground motions from static displacements (0 Hz) to frequencies of 10 Hz (wavelengths as short as 50 meters) making these Sierra calculations the highest resolution regional-scale earthquake simulations ever made for California. Results show good agreement between simulated ground motion intensities (peak ground velocity and acceleration, spectral response) and empirical models, including frequencies above 10 Hz. On Lassen we were able to run a suite of 52 M W 7.0 Hayward Fault earthquake simulations resolved 0-5 Hz for both plane-layered, one-dimensional (1D) and 3D Earth models. These simulations were used to develop a methodology for characterizing and removing systematic path and site effects which bias ground motion intensities. These simulations using the newly enhanced SW4 code allow us to run higher resolution seismic simulations with shorter run times, providing a new capability for seismic hazard and risk studies. Results were presented at scientific conferences and workshops and two publications are being prepared based on work performed in this project.

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Rodgers, Arthur J.. 2019-10-12. Earthquake Ground Motion Simulations on the Sierra High-Performance Computing System. https://doi.org/10.2172/1571735

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