CONVENERS: Michele Cooke, Kate Scharer, and Mike Oskin

OVERVIEW: We are pleased to announce a new emphasis for SCEC5: Earthquake Gates Areas (EGA). This initiative represents a shift in the concepts of the Special Fault Study Areas to the investigation of the factors that can conditionally halt or pass earthquake ruptures and thus have a control on the probability of large, multi-segment or multi-fault ruptures. Specifically, Earthquake Gates Areas arise where fault complexity, rupture direction, near fault rheology, and prior earthquake history may lead to the likelihood of the gate being open or closed to through rupture.

A one-day Earthquake Gates Area incubator workshop will be held in early March 2017 in order (1) to solicit and discuss ideas from the SCEC5 community for EGA locations or topics, (2) to facilitate communication and collaboration between potential EGA investigators, and (3) to bring forward leaders of potential EGA projects. Interdisciplinary focus on a particular sub-region of southern California has worked well in the past and will likely be the model for at least one EGA in SCEC5. The incubator workshop will also discuss the benefits of topical or process focused EGAs. The products of the workshop will be EGA 5-year science plans that will be evaluated by the SCEC Planning Committee at the June leadership meeting.

Both investigators interested in leading an Earthquake Gates Areas and those that are keen to participate in potential Earthquake Gate projects are encouraged to attend the workshop.

Presentation slides may be downloaded by clicking the title of the presentation. PLEASE NOTE: Files are the author’s property. They may contain unpublished or preliminary information and should only be used while viewing the talk.

MARCH 10, 2017