Combinatorial Framework for Obtaining the Optimal Spatial Distribution of Earthquakes on Complex Fault Systems
<p>A critical component of seismic hazard analysis is understanding the frequency and spatial distribution of earthquakes with different magnitudes on nearby faults. &#160;A framework for determining the optimal spatial distribution of earthquakes on a complex fault system is developed using combinatorial optimization methods.&#160;Input to the framework is a millennia-scale sample of earthquakes taken from a regional Gutenberg-Richter (G-R) relation.&#160; We then determine the optimal spatial arrangement of each earthquake in the fault system according to an objective function and constraints.&#160; Our previously published results focus on minimizing the total misfit in slip rates as the objective function; constraints were maximum and minimum slip rate values that incorporate uncertainty in slip-rate values for each fault.&#160; Both global and local combinatorial optimization methods have been developed to solve these problems: integer programming and the greedy sequential algorithm, respectively.&#160;Resulting on-fault magnitude distributions cannot be simply classified as being either purely characteristic or G-R. For example, faults may exhibit multiple &#8220;characteristic&#8221; magnitudes or a power-law distribution of magnitudes over a restricted range. Current research involves adapting the general combinatorial framework to include other and multiple objective functions, including minimizing the variation in accumulated stress over millennia.&#160; The framework can also accommodate branching and step-over connections for the slip-rate objective, while current research is underway to include interaction stress loading among the different faults in the fault system for stress-based objectives.&#160; Results from these methods are valuable for verifying the assumed magnitude-frequency distributions for faults in probabilistic seismic and tsunami hazard analyses.</p>