Seismic wave propagation in the earth's interior after an earthquake.
3-D wave simulation in global scale require huge grids with hundreds of
million grid points for the correct estimate of the seismic wave-field.
The calculations aim for imaging the structure of the earth's interior
(seismic tomography).
Today the simulation of the ground motion after strong earthquakes is
one of the most important methods to reduce potential damages. The
geological structure of the subsurface, as the sedimentary basin in the
Cologne area e.g., can substantial amplify the ground motion. The
picture illustrates the earthquake simulation of the magnitude 5.9
earthquake near be Roermond in 1992.
(Heiner Igel, Gunnar Jahnke,
Michael Ewald, Martin Käser, Marco Stupazzini,
Institute of Geophysics,
University of Munich)
Ludger Palm