A support-operator method for viscoelastic wave modelling in 3-D heterogeneous media

  1. Geoffrey P. Ely1,
  2. Steven M. Day2,
  3. Jean-Bernard Minster1

Article first published online: 29 OCT 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2007.03633.x

Issue

Geophysical Journal International

Geophysical Journal International

Volume 172, Issue 1, pages 331–344, January 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Ely, G. P., Day, S. M. and Minster, J.-B. (2008), A support-operator method for viscoelastic wave modelling in 3-D heterogeneous media. Geophysical Journal International, 172: 331–344. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2007.03633.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0225, USA. E-mail: gely@ucsd.edu

  2. 2

    Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-1020, USA

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 29 OCT 2008
  2. Article first published online: 29 OCT 2008
  3. Accepted 2007 September 21. Received 2007 September 17; in original form 2007 June 3

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Keywords:

  • Numerical solutions;
  • Earthquake ground motions;
  • Computational seismology;
  • Wave propagation

SUMMARY

We apply the method of support operators (SOM) to solve the 3-D, viscoelastic equations of motion for use in earthquake simulations. SOM is a generalized finite-difference method that can utilize meshes of arbitrary structure and incorporate irregular geometry. Our implementation uses a 3-D, logically rectangular, hexahedral mesh. Calculations are second-order in space and time. A correction term is employed for suppression of spurious zero-energy modes (hourglass oscillations). We develop a free surface boundary condition, and an absorbing boundary condition using the method of perfectly matched layers (PML). Numerical tests using a layered material model in a highly deformed mesh show good agreement with the frequency-wavenumber method, for resolutions greater than 10 nodes per wavelength. We also test a vertically incident P wave on a semi-circular canyon, for which results match boundary integral solutions at resolutions greater that 20 nodes per wavelength. We also demonstrate excellent parallel scalability of our code.

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