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Science 29 November 2002:
Vol. 298. no. 5599, pp. 1737 - 1742
DOI: 10.1126/science.1076024
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Review

The Spectral-Element Method, Beowulf Computing, and Global Seismology

Dimitri Komatitsch,* Jeroen Ritsema, Jeroen Tromp

The propagation of seismic waves through Earth can now be modeled accurately with the recently developed spectral-element method. This method takes into account heterogeneity in Earth models, such as three-dimensional variations of seismic wave velocity, density, and crustal thickness. The method is implemented on relatively inexpensive clusters of personal computers, so-called Beowulf machines. This combination of hardware and software enables us to simulate broadband seismograms without intrinsic restrictions on the level of heterogeneity or the frequency content.

Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: komatits{at}gps.caltech.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Effects of Realistic Surface Topography on Seismic Ground Motion in the Yangminshan Region of Taiwan Based Upon the Spectral-Element Method and LiDAR DTM.
S.-J. Lee, Y.-C. Chan, D. Komatitsch, B.-S. Huang, and J. Tromp (2009)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 99, 681-693
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Effects of Topography on Seismic-Wave Propagation: An Example from Northern Taiwan.
S.-J. Lee, D. Komatitsch, B.-S. Huang, and J. Tromp (2009)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 99, 314-325
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Prospect of Using Three-Dimensional Earth Models to Improve Nuclear Explosion Monitoring and Ground-motion Hazard Assessment.
J. J. Zucca, W. R. Walter, A. J. Rodgers, P. Richards, M. E. Pasyanos, S. C. Myers, T. Lay, D. Harris, and T. Antoun (2009)
Seismological Research Letters 80, 31-39
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Between a rock and a hot place: the core-mantle boundary.
J. Wookey and D. P Dobson (2008)
Phil Trans R Soc A 366, 4543-4557
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Three-Dimensional Simulations of Seismic-Wave Propagation in the Taipei Basin with Realistic Topography Based upon the Spectral-Element Method.
S.-J. Lee, H.-W. Chen, Q. Liu, D. Komatitsch, B.-S. Huang, and J. Tromp (2008)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 98, 253-264
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Modeling of the Perfectly Matched Layer Absorbing Boundaries and Intrinsic Attenuation in Explicit Finite-Element Methods.
S. Ma and P. Liu (2006)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 96, 1779-1794
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Rupture Process of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake.
C. J. Ammon, C. Ji, H.-K. Thio, D. Robinson, S. Ni, V. Hjorleifsdottir, H. Kanamori, T. Lay, S. Das, D. Helmberger, et al. (2005)
Science 308, 1133-1139
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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