University of Southern California Southern California Earthquake Center

University of Southern California Southern California Earthquake Center
Name	Southern California Earthquake Center
Native name	SCEC
Established	1991
Type	Research Consortium
Location	University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Director	---
Website	---

University of Southern California Southern California Earthquake Center

The Southern California Earthquake Center is a multi-institutional research consortium housed at the University of Southern California that advances seismic hazard science through interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists from institutions such as California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University and University of Tokyo. Established to coordinate research following seismic events like the 1994 Northridge earthquake and informed by programs such as the National Science Foundation earthquake initiatives, the center links observational platforms including the Global Positioning System, the Advanced National Seismic System, the United States Geological Survey and regional networks to produce community models used by stakeholders such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, California Geological Survey, Los Angeles County and Southern California Association of Governments.

History

SCEC grew from efforts after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake when researchers at institutions like University of California, Los Angeles, California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, US Geological Survey and Scripps Institution of Oceanography sought coordinated study of faults such as the San Andreas Fault, the San Jacinto Fault Zone, and the Puente Hills Fault. Funding and oversight from agencies including the National Science Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, the Department of Homeland Security, and partnerships with entities such as Caltech Seismological Laboratory, USGS National Earthquake Information Center, and the Southern California Association of Governments formalized SCEC as a consortium in the 1990s. Over subsequent decades SCEC expanded collaborations with institutions including University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Irvine, Carnegie Institution for Science, Columbia University, and international partners like University of Tokyo in the wake of events such as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Mission and Research Programs

SCEC’s mission integrates earthquake source studies, ground motion modeling, seismic hazard assessment, and resilience research connecting investigators from Caltech, UCLA, Stanford, USGS, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory to address issues relevant to agencies such as FEMA, California Office of Emergency Services, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Core programs include development of the Community Fault Model used by practitioners at USGS and Caltrans, physics-based rupture simulations employing computational resources from National Center for Atmospheric Research, XSEDE, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis informed by paleoseismology studies conducted with teams from University of Nevada, Reno and Arizona State University. Initiatives also link to policy forums such as the California Earthquake Authority and standards organizations like the American Society of Civil Engineers for application to building codes and retrofit programs in jurisdictions including Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego County.

Facilities and Instrumentation

SCEC coordinates instruments and facilities managed by partners including the USGS, Caltech Seismological Laboratory, Southern California Seismic Network, and academic observatories at UCLA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The center integrates data from seismic arrays such as the Hi-net and regional networks like the ANSS alongside geodetic measurements from GPS stations, interferometric data from InSAR missions with agencies like NASA, and strong-motion recordings from instruments maintained by Pacific Gas and Electric Company and local utilities. High-performance computing for waveform modeling and simulations leverages systems at XSEDE, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, and university clusters at USC and Caltech, while laboratory experiments on fault mechanics connect to facilities at University of Texas at Austin and Brown University.

Education, Outreach, and Public Policy

SCEC conducts education and outreach programs with partners such as California Science Center, Los Angeles Unified School District, Public Policy Institute of California, and community groups across Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County. Training and curriculum development link to academic programs at USC, UCLA, Caltech, and UC Berkeley and to national initiatives by NSF and Science Foundation Arizona. Public policy engagement involves briefings to the California Legislature, collaborations with FEMA, and participation in standards processes at ASCE and the National Institute of Standards and Technology for seismic-resistant design and lifeline resilience affecting infrastructure owned by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and transit agencies such as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Collaborations and Funding

SCEC’s network spans federal, state, academic, and private partners including NSF, USGS, DHS, U.S. Department of Energy, university consortia at UCLA, Caltech, Stanford University, international collaborators at University of Tokyo, and technology partners like ESRI and Palo Alto Networks. Funding mechanisms have included cooperative agreements with National Science Foundation program offices, grants from the U.S. Geological Survey, contracts with state agencies such as the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and philanthropic support from foundations like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and industry partnerships with utilities and engineering firms.

Notable Projects and Contributions

SCEC has produced influential outputs including the Southern California Community Fault Model used by USGS for seismic hazard maps, physics-based ground motion simulations applied in studies with FEMA for scenario planning, cyberinfrastructure developments adopted by XSEDE and IRIS, participation in international efforts following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and contributions to earthquake early warning efforts coordinated with ShakeAlert partners at USGS and Caltech. SCEC research has informed building-code updates by ASCE and retrofit policies implemented by Los Angeles City and influenced post-disaster recovery planning used by FEMA and regional authorities.

Category:Earthquake engineering organizations Category:Seismological observatories, networks, and monitoring