UCVM Users Guide
Unified California Velocity Model (UCVM) is a proposed California state-wide 3D velocity model. One important use of UCVM is in high resolution 3D wave propagation simulations for California. UCVM development is an interdisciplinary research collaboration involving geoscientists and computer scientists. UCVM geoscience research includes identification and assembly of existing California velocity models into a state-wide model and improvements to existing velocity models. UCVM computer science research includes definition of a easy-to-use CVM query interface, integration of regional 3D and geotechnical models, and automated CVM evaluation processing capabilities.
Contents
Existing Model Coverage
UCVM is trying to move forward on a statewide seismic velocity model for CA suitable for ground-motion modeling. Current concept is that this model would not be a single model but a seamless combination of models covering various regions of the state. The tricky part of course is the transition from one model to another and the use of background models to fill in the gaps.
As a first step, we want to put together a map of the coverage:
Current Detailed Seismic Velocity Models
- SCEC CVM-4 CVM-S
- SCEC CVM-H CVM-H
- USGS Bay Area Model cencalvm
- Carl Tape's Great Central Valley Model
- Rob Graves' Cape Mendocino Region Model, Graves (1994)
Background Tomographic Models
- Moschetti Surface Wave Models
- Parkfield regional model, Thurber et al (2006)
- San Francisco area regional model, Thurber et al (2007)
- Northern California Regional 3D P-wave Velocity Model, Thurber et al (2009)
- Egill's regional southern CA model
- California Statewide 3D Velocity Model, Lin et al (2010). wiki: Lin Thurber CVM website: Guoqing Lin's website
Summary of Coverage Regions
Tape is working on a new socal mesh (black) of CVMH6.3 will cover somewhat west and north of the current CVMH model. This is the m16 model region from my thesis, which was based on an older CVMH model. Eventually it will contain the entire CVMH6.3 model, including to the south. All CVMH6.3 simulations are Vp, Vs, rho, with constant attenuation above the basement surface (in the basins). CVMH goes down a couple hundred kms, but the portion I use is upper 60 km, and the local earthquake inversion sensitivity is dominantly upper 25 km.
- The yellow dashed line is the target simulation goal for San Joaquin and Sierra model and simulations. Andreas, John, and Carl have developed several surfaces within this region (including to the continental shelf), and we have lots of velocity data in the San Joaquin basin, which is our focus. (Andreas loaded the Lin-Thurber CA model as well.)
- The red box is CVMH6.3
- The inner red box as the high-res LA model.
- California CVM regions CVM Boundaries in KML format
Model List
SCEC CVM-S
This southern California model is described at CVM-S.
SCEC CVM-H
This southern California model is described at CVM-H.
USGS Bay Area (cencalvm)
This northern California model is described at cencalvm.
Northern California Regional 3D P-wave Velocity Model
Here is info on the first of four of our regional-scale 3D P-wave velocity models that I will provide. This is for our Northern California model, published in Thurber et al (2009).
Formally, the bounding rectangle is approximately given below however, the western edge realistically is the California coastline, and the northern edge is not quite to the Oregon border.
42.60, -122.32 40.34, -126.27 37.74, -117.88 35.62, -121.71
- The bottom nodes of the model are at 36 km.
- Node spacing is mostly 10 or 15 km in the NE-SW direction and is uniformly 20 km in the NW-SE direction. Actual model resolution based on checkerboard tests is nominally ~twice the node spacing.
- Vp model provided.
Cape Mendocino Region Model
This manuscript describes some 3D modeling of the Eel River basin which is in the Cape Mendocino region at the northern end of the San Andreas. Rob Graves did this work as part of the development of the 3D FD methodology and published as a USGS external grant report in Graves (1994).
Parkfield Regional Model
Parkfield regional model, published in Thurber et al. (2006). Bounding box corners:
TOP: 35.918339 -121.412085 36.6838908 -120.320581 BOTTOM: 35.0996582 -120.542912 35.86521 -119.45284
The model is fully documented in the supplementary information for the paper Thurber et al (2006).
San Francisco Regional Model
A higher-resolution model for the San Francisco Bay area, published in Thurber et al (2007). It covers a smaller region than our northern California model so perhaps it is not useful.
Desired Model Features
There is a set of fundamental information necessary to include any new model into UCVM, regardless of delivery format (files, table in a paper ,etc.). If the new model is already packaged as a downloadable code set, there are a number of features that make it easier for it to be integrated into UCVM. These are listed below.
Fundamental Information
- The map projection/datum used, and the (lon,lat) to (x,y) transformation
- The bounding polygon for each models
- The depth extent, and whether the model is query by depth/elevation/elev_offset
- Brief description of the resolution
- The physical properties it includes (i.e., density, Vp, Vs, Qp, Qs).
Packaging in Code
- Provide both application programming interface and command-line query tool
- Programming interface: C preferred, although C++/Fortran will work, with the following function defined:
- Initialization function
- Query model function
- Get Version ID function
- Finalizer (cleanup) function
- GTL toggle: Allow toggling any GTL on/off in both API and command-line tool
- Allow query by (lon, lat, depth), where depth is offset from free surface, positive down
- Return Vp, Vs, density at a minimum
- Model region has finite extents, outside of which the query function returns a "no data" indicator
- Able to compile model with generic GNU compiler
Prototype UCVM API
A prototype API for a state-wide model has been developed and is described in this document: UCVM API.
Proposed Coverage Region
The following is a proposed minimum coverage region. The entire state of California is included, along with portions of Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and northern Mexico.
NW Corner: -129.0, 41.0 NE Corner: -120.5, 45.0 SE Corner: -118.0, 28.0 SW Corner: -110.5, 32.0
- UCVM regions UCVM Boundaries in KML format
Statewide DEM
A statewide DEM for the proposed coverage region should be built into UCVM. Elevation data can be sampled from USGS NED 1 arcsec dataset (~30m), and bathymetric data can be sampled from the NOAA ETOPO1 1' dataset (~1.5 km). Datam transformations (grid shifts) may be needed from NAD83 to WGS84.
Statewide Geotechnical Layer
A statewide GTL for the proposed coverage region should be built into UCVM. This GTL would use the Vs30 derived method developed by G. Ely. It would have the following properties:
- Resolution: minimum 250m
- Projection: ?, appropriate for this large scale
- Vs30 Source Data: Wills, Wald data (sufficient for entire state?)
- Transition depth range: GTL/Model are interpolated in this depth range. Start/End depth are user configurable. GTL is queried at start depth, model is queried at end depth, and data values in between are interpolated.
- Interpolation function: User configurable, initially cubic/no interpolation options will be provided.
- Criteria for Successful Interpolation: GTL and Model must provide valid vp,vs,rho at respective points for interpolation to be performed. Otherwise, no data values are returned.
- Programmatically, a GTL is considered to be a shallow velocity model providing vp,vs,rho. Much like how sets of velocity models can be combined together into a meta-model, sets of GTLs will be combined together into a meta-GTL. The meta-model and meta-GTL are then combined in the transition depth range.
Combining Regional Models
The UCVM API currently combines models by simply tiling them in a user-specified order. If this method will continue to be used, then properly combining regional models into a statewide will require some smoothing/reconciliation of the overlaping regions. Smoothing will likely need to be performed manually on a case-by-case basis, to ensure that the best available data is for a particular region/basin is used. For example, we may need to produce a patch model that smooths the overlap between the CVM-S and USGS Bay Area models as shown below.
CenCal/CVM-S
A set of plots showing the interface betwen USGS CenCal and CVM-S from depths 0-20km can be downloaded here: tiling_cencal_cvms.tar
Visualization Tool
A simple web service for generating plots from UCVM is available at UCVM Viz (SCEC login required).
Related Entries
See Also
- SCEC CVM
- Geoff Ely Vs30 geotechnical layer implementation
- Qinya Liu Tomography Research
- GuoQing Lin's Research
- USGS CVM Web Site
- Main Page
- SCEC Home Page
References
- Graves, R. (1994): Rupture History and Strong Motion Modeling of the 1992 Cape Mendocino Earthquake, USGS Exteral Grant Report
- Lin, G., C. H. Thurber, H. Zhang, E. Hauksson, P. Shearer, F. Waldhauser, T. M. Brocher, and J. Hardebeck (2010), A California statewide three-dimensional seismic velocity model from both absolute and differential Times, Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 100, in press. supplemental
- Thurber, C., H. Zhang, F. Waldhauser, J. Hardebeck, A. Michael, and D. Eberhart-Phillips (2006): Three-dimensional compressional wavespeed model, earthquake relocations, and focal mechanisms for the Parkfield, California, region, Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 96, S38-S49, 2006. supplemental
- Thurber, C., T. Brocher, H. Zhang, and V. Langenheim (2007): Three-dimensional P-wave velocity model for the San Francisco Bay region, California, J. Geophys. Res., 112, B07313, doi:10.1029/ 2006JB004682, 2007.
- Thurber, C., H. Zhang, T. Brocher, and V. Langenheim (2009): Regional three-dimensional seismic velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle of northern California, J.Geophys. Res., 114, B01304, doi:10.1029/2008JB005766, 2009.
