Engineering Commons^™

3-D Reconstructions And Numerical Simulations Of Precarious Rocks In Southern California, Christine E. Wittich, Tara C. Hutchinson, J. Desanto, D. Sandwell

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Reliable estimates of seismic hazard are essential for the development of resilient communities; however, estimates of rare, yet high intensity earthquakes are highly uncertain due to a lack of observations and recordings. Lacking this data, seismic hazard analyses may be based on extrapolations from earthquakes with more moderate return periods, which can lead to physically unrealistic earthquake scenarios. However, the existence of certain precariously balanced rocks (PBRs) has been identified as an indicator of an upper bound ground motion, which precludes toppling of the balanced rock, over its lifetime. To this end, a survey of PBRs was conducted in proximity …