Western Basin and Range Community Velocity Model Working Group

Western Basin and Range Community Velocity Model Working Group

Coordinator: John N. Louie, louie@seismo.unr.edu

The ModelAssembler Community Modeling Environment

W. J. Stephenson, R. N. Frary, J. N. Louie, and J. K. Odum, 2013, Quaternary extensional growth folding beneath Reno, Nevada, imaged by urban seismic profiling: Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 103, no. 5 (October), doi: 10.1785/0120120311, 2921-2927. (8.9 Mb PDF journal proof)
Final report to the USGS on the project ``Gathering Critical Data Toward the Western Basin and Range CVM'' (4.2 Mb PDF)
Talk on Reno reflection surveys at 2010 SSA Annual Meeting (or 18 Mb PPTX)
Final report to the USGS on the project ``Basin Model Improvements and Verification for Reno Area 3-D Scenario Modeling'' (7.0 Mb PDF)
Poster at 2009 SCEC Annual Meeting (1.8 Mb JPEG or 20 Mb PDF)
Univ. of Nevada and U.S. Geological Survey Probing Earthquake Faults below Reno and Sparks, June 2009
Final report to the USGS on the Workshops (2.0 Mb PDF)
WBRCVM NEHRP FY2010 RFP recommended priorities
November 2008 Followup Workshop Schedule
January 2008 Workshop Schedule (with presentations linked)
Objectives
Products
Other Resources

White paper describing the January workshop: Word or PDF.

Presentations about the WBRCVM:

Basins in the Nevada Community Seismic Velocity Model and their effects on earthquake scenario modeling presentation at Stanford Univ., Jan. 6, 2010
Basins in the Nevada Community Seismic Velocity Model and their effects on earthquake scenario modeling presentation at the Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Jan. 2009
From data to synthesis on the cheap: the Western Basin and Range Community Seismic Velocity Model: Eos Trans. AGU, 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract IN43A-1165, 2008. (Poster 1.4 Mb JPEG)
Assembling a Nevada 3-d velocity model: earthquake-wave propagation in the Basin & Range, and seismic shaking predictions for Las Vegas: SEG Expanded Abstracts, 27, 2166-2170. (4.6 Mb PDF, 5 pp.; Poster part 1 13.5 Mb JPEG; Poster part 2 10.5 Mb JPEG)
Presentation on the Western Basin & Range CVM at the Oct. 2008 Nevada Petroleum Society Meeting, Reno
Presentation on the January workshop at the March 2008 GSA Cordillieran Section Meeting, Las Vegas

January Workshop Schedule- with presentation links

Objectives

The Nevada Seismological Lab convened in 2008 two brief workshops on creating a Western Basin and Range Community Velocity Model (WBRCVM), with generous support from the FY'08 USGS NEHRP-NIW panel. The workshops were both be held in Reno, in January and November.

The objectives of the workshops were two-fold:

To organize a Western Basin and Range community seismic-velocity modeling Working Group, contributing toward the goal of predicting earthquake ground motions in urban areas and other sensitive sites. The community model will address seismic velocities at the crustal, basin, and geotechnical scales; and should contribute directly toward an overall Great Basin Community Velocity Model (to eventually include Utah, Arizona, and other area north and east).
To hear advice from national experts who have constructed CVMs for other areas including Utah, to assess what CVM features most affect predicted ground motions, and thus prioritize our needs for geological and seismic-velocity data. WBRCVM construction efforts have been funded by the NEHRP-NIW program for FY09.

If you are interested in contributing to the WBRCVM, in using it to predict ground motions; or you have experience creating CVMs for such purposes in other regions, we hope you will be able to participate in the WBRCVM Working Group.

Products

We developed at each workshop detailed statements of research and data priorities that can guide researchers contributing to the WBRCVM or helping to construct it.
Louie wrote with help from participants a statement summarizing our priorities for inclusion in NIW or Nevada research priorities statements for FY10 NEHRP proposals.

Other Resources

This page and some of the materials linked from it were prepared as work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions or authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.

The information included in these documents is intended to improve earthquake preparedness; however, it does not guarantee the safety of an individual structure or facility. The State of Nevada does not assume liability for any injury, death, or property damage that occurs in connection with an earthquake.

J. Louie, Aug. 23, 2009