Spectral Element Simulation of Rupture Dynamics

Abstract

Numerical modeling is an important tool, allowing to have access to the different time and space scales carried by the nucleation and propagation of the rupture. In this paper, the spectral element method, which is widely recognized as a powerful tool in regional and global seismology, is applied to the study of the faulting process. Specifically, the importance of the nucleation process in the supershear behavior of inplane cracks is detailed.