Computational seismology. A practical introduction (Q2835569)

Numerical methods find increasing application in Earth sciences. Therefore there is a need for an overview of the methods used in this field.NEWLINEThis book gives an introduction to computational seismology. Computational seismology involves the complete solution of the seismic wave propagation problem for arbitrary 3-D models by numerical methods. Many problems rely on the analysis of elastic wavefields such as the global seismology, tomography of the Earth's interior, ground motion, earthquake source process, volcanic processes, Earthquake \& Tsunami early warning systems, planetary seismology, and exploration geophysics.NEWLINENEWLINEThe book is organized in three parts. The first part is about the propagation of elastic waves in the Earth, their physics. Part II constitutes the main body of the book, introducing the six numerical methods with application in Earth sciences: the finite difference method, the pseudospectral method, the linear finite-element the method, the spectral-element method, the finite-volume method, the discontinuous Galerkin method. All discretization methods are described in detail with computer implementations or numerical solutions of the 1D elastic wave equation. In Part III, applications like geophysical exploration, regional wave propagation, global and planetary seismology, strong ground motion and dynamic rupture, seismic tomography, waveform inversion, volcanology of the presented numerical methods are discussed, with the prospect of solving the 3D problem.NEWLINENEWLINESubstantial electronic material complements the book containing Python codes and Jupyter notebooks that accompany the examples and exercises. In the text, code fragments are given that illustrate implementation in a computer code with the aim to keep the mathematics beyond the methods as simple as possible, extensively using graphics to illustrate concepts. Many of the codes are also available in Matlab. Supplementary electronic material and online platforms are provided that should enable lecturers to easily use the book for teaching.NEWLINEIn summary, the book is written in a simple, friendly, and flowing manner, without unnecessary complications. It provides a comprehensive stand-alone introduction on numerical methods in seismology and related fields of geosciences.