Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Soto, Valeria, Lopez-Caballero, Fernando
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.01868
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866912305942364160
author Soto, Valeria
Lopez-Caballero, Fernando
author_facet Soto, Valeria
Lopez-Caballero, Fernando
contents Ensuring the seismic safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is essential, especially for facilities that rely on base isolation to reduce earthquake impacts. For understanding the seismic response, accurate models are key to predict the ground motions, which are generally sensitive to various factors, including earthquake source parameters like the focal mechanism, i.e., strike, dip, and rake angles. This study examines how uncertainties in these parameters affect ground motion predictions. The analysis is based on the SMATCH benchmark, which provides a standardized approach for evaluating the seismic response of the Cruas-Meysse NPP in France during the Mw 4.9 Le-Teil earthquake of 2019. A set of 27 3D high-fidelity numerical simulations was performed using a spectral-element method, each incorporating different focal mechanism variations. These simulations provide an effective approach for investigating the factors behind the exceptional ground motion observed during this event. To quantify uncertainty, the simulated ground motions were compared to recorded data using two well-established goodness-of-fit criteria: one assessing time-frequency domain characteristics and another focusing on the characterization of the ground motion signals by intensity measures. Results highlight the significant influence of focal mechanism variability on ground motion predictions, especially on the rake angle, which showed the strongest correlation with wave and intensity measures.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_01868
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Focal Mechanism Uncertainty Quantification In Ground Motion Simulations Of Le Teil Earthquake
Soto, Valeria
Lopez-Caballero, Fernando
Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
Ensuring the seismic safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is essential, especially for facilities that rely on base isolation to reduce earthquake impacts. For understanding the seismic response, accurate models are key to predict the ground motions, which are generally sensitive to various factors, including earthquake source parameters like the focal mechanism, i.e., strike, dip, and rake angles. This study examines how uncertainties in these parameters affect ground motion predictions. The analysis is based on the SMATCH benchmark, which provides a standardized approach for evaluating the seismic response of the Cruas-Meysse NPP in France during the Mw 4.9 Le-Teil earthquake of 2019. A set of 27 3D high-fidelity numerical simulations was performed using a spectral-element method, each incorporating different focal mechanism variations. These simulations provide an effective approach for investigating the factors behind the exceptional ground motion observed during this event. To quantify uncertainty, the simulated ground motions were compared to recorded data using two well-established goodness-of-fit criteria: one assessing time-frequency domain characteristics and another focusing on the characterization of the ground motion signals by intensity measures. Results highlight the significant influence of focal mechanism variability on ground motion predictions, especially on the rake angle, which showed the strongest correlation with wave and intensity measures.
title Focal Mechanism Uncertainty Quantification In Ground Motion Simulations Of Le Teil Earthquake
topic Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.01868