Announcement of CIG Tutorials (Pylith and Gale) at the 2011 EarthScope National Meeting

Forwarded announcement from Ariel Shoresh (CIG, UC Davis):

CIG TUTORIALS AT EARTHSCOPE 2011

CIG will be conducting two Pre-Workshop Tutorials as part of the EarthScope National Meeting. If you would like to register for the National Meeting, you will need to go directly through EarthScope, at:

http://www.earthscope.org/meetings/national_meeting_11

Registration for the CIG Pre-Workshop Tutorials will be done directly through CIG. Please go to

http://www.geodynamics.org/cig/community/workshops/earthscope2011/index_...

for more information on the tutorial sessions, as well as the Registration Form.

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Training Session for the GALE Computational Software in Tectonics and Geophysics

Date: Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 8:30 to 5pm
Location: AT&T Executive Education Center, University of Texas at Austin
Room: TBA

Convener: Walter Landry, Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics.

An important component of interpreting the wealth of data available to geologists is the use of computational methodologies to simulate tectonic processes. In this training session, the NSF-sponsored Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG) will focus on training of new users in the use of the tectonics modeling software Gale.

Gale is a 2D/3D parallel code that solves problems in orogenesis, rifting, and subduction with a variety of boundary conditions, including free surfaces and coupling to surface erosion models. Gale is bundled with a number of rheologies and extensive documentation, and is extensively benchmarked. Precompiled binaries make it easy to start using Gale on Windows, Mac, or Linux laptops and desktops. Thorough installation notes allow users to then install Gale on the largest supercomputers and run the same input files.

Gale is free software, requiring no fees to acquire or run, and is developed by CIG in conjunction with the Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing and Monash University. Gale is available at

http://geodynamics.org/cig/software/packages/long/gale/

During the session, participants will be given background theory, an overview of the code including its strengths and weaknesses for solving geodynamic problems, and instruction on downloading and running these codes (including running them on the NSF TeraGrid), and post-processing (visualizing) the results. As time permits, the workshop will also cover how to implement new rheologies and custom surface processes in Gale.

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Training in use of Crustal Deformation Modeling Software (PyLith)

Date: Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m
Location: AT&T Executive Education Center, University of Texas at Austin
Room: TBA

Conveners: Brad Aagaard (USGS), Charles Williams (GNS Science), Matt Knepley (UChicago)

Data from the US Array and PBO components of EarthScope allow an extraordinary opportunity to better understand Earth structure and dynamics. An important component of interpreting such data is the use of computational methodologies to simulate tectonic processes. The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG), an NSF center, will provide a full-day of training for new users in the use of software that can be applied to the interpretation and modeling of EarthScope data. The training session will be held May 17, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The training will focus on the PyLith crustal deformation modeling software -- available at (http://www.geodynamics.org/cig/software/pylith/) while also providing an introduction to the use of the CUBIT meshing package (http://cubit.sandia.gov).

PyLith is open-source finite-element software for 2-D and 3-D dynamic and quasi-static modeling of crustal deformation. The target applications span spatial scales ranging from tens of meters to hundreds of kilometers and temporal scales for dynamic modeling ranging from milliseconds to minutes or temporal scales for quasi-static modeling ranging from minutes to thousands of years. Current features include prescribed fault ruptures with multiple sequential earthquakes and aseismic creep, spontaneous fault ruptures with a variety of fault constitutive models, time-dependent Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions, absorbing boundary conditions, time-dependent point forces, and gravitational body forces. PyLith supports infinitesimal and small strain formulations for linear elastic rheologies, linear and generalized Maxwell viscoelastic rheologies, power-law viscoelastic rheologies, and Drucker-Prager elastoplastic rheologies.

During the training session, participants will be given background theory, an overview of the codes including their strengths and weaknesses for solving geodynamic problems, and instruction on constructing a finite-element mesh, running a simulation, and post-processing (visualizing) the results.