Finite Element Simulation of Earthquakes with Coupling Tsunamis in Large Domains

Ground motion simulations have been quite popular as complementary to the observations for understanding strong ground motion characteristics and assessment of future risks in seismic-prone regions. These simulations have formed an important research field of applied seismology and earthquake engineering with the development of computational resources. Success of strong ground motion simulations primarily depends on the accuracy of the seismic velocity models and the source models which repre- sent our understanding of the underground geologic settings and the fault rupture mechanisms, respectively. Improving these models with simulations is possible by testing them in the context of historical earthquakes for which there are seismic records. In this talk, I will present some of the recent improvements in the simula- tion capabilities of Hercules, the parallel finite element earthquake simulator developed by the Quake Group at Carnegie Mellon University, which made it possible to perform the simulations of strong ground motion and tsunami waves concurrently in a naturally-coupled way using higher order elements and case studies of two historical earthquakes.