Multimedia Gallery - This map view of California shows active California faults.

map view of California showing active California faults.

March 25, 2013

This map view of California shows active California faults.

This map shows the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast v.3 (UCERF3) which forecasts the probability of all possible damaging earthquakes greater than magnitude 5.0 throughout California over a given time frame such as the next five years. This map view of California shows active California faults as defined in UCERF3. The fault colors show the UCERF3 forecast of the rate at which each fault section will participate in an earthquake rupture with magnitude greater than 6.7. Less likely sections are shown in blue and more likely sections in red. The background colors on the map show UCERF3 earthquake rate forecasts for off-fault regions. SCEC scientists used TACC supercomputers, including Ranger and Stampede, to calculate the hazards from many alternative earthquake rupture scenarios and to combine the results into the final UCERF3 earthquake rupture forecast.
Currently under scientific review, once approved, UCERF3 is expected to be used by the California Earthquake Authority to set insurance rates and purchase catastrophe reinsurance, by structural engineers to design safer communities, and the public to understand earthquake risk.

Credit: Kevin Milner, University of Southern California

Images credited to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency, are in the public domain. The images were created by employees of the United States Government as part of their official duties or prepared by contractors as "works for hire" for NSF. You may freely use NSF-credited images and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: National Science Foundation" notation.

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