Virtual Lower Rhine Embayement: Physics-based numerical simulation of earthquake ruptures and seismic cycles

经验观测和模拟都表明，地震断层是相互作用的，因此不能把地震看作是单独的独立事件。然而，在标准的地震危险性计算中，这在很大程度上仍然被忽略。提出的工作将旨在了解断层网内的地震相互作用，以改进地震危险性估计。对于德国下莱茵河（Lower Rhine Embayment， LRE）试验区，我们将基于一个改进型物理模型实验室“Virtual LRE”进行地震危险性评估的综合分析。为此，我们希望根据该地区最近的断层模型，使为加利福尼亚开发的准动态地震模型适应LRE的几何结构。我们的目标是描述地震活动的时空变异性和破裂历史的复杂性，并将它们纳入危险图的实际计算中。

Both empirical observations and simulations indicate that earthquake faults interact with each other and hence earthquakes cannot be treated as individual independent events. However, this is still largely ignored in standard seismic hazard calculations. The proposed work will aim at understanding the earthquake interactions within fault networks in order to improve seismic hazard estimations. For the test region Lower Rhine Embayment (LRE), Germany, we will perform a comprehensive analysis of seismic hazard assessment based on an adapted physics-based model laboratory “Virtual LRE”. For that, we want to adapt quasi-dynamic earthquake models developed for California to the geometrical configuration in LRE based on a recent fault model for this region. Our goal is to characterize the spatio-temporal variability of seismicity and the complexity of rupture histories and incorporate them into practical calculations of hazard maps.