RTM aids in earthquake study

摘要

Repsol's Kaleidoscope project is being tapped to increase understanding of tectonic movement. When Repsol-YPF launched its Kaleidoscope project four years ago, its purpose was to study new hardware alternatives to realize the promise of reverse time migration (RTM) for oil and gas exploration. What the company perhaps didn't envision was the other potential uses of the computer. Repsol is now partnering with the US government to develop a better understanding of how earthquakes occur. The project, being conducted offshore Costa Rica, is intended to help scientists visualize and monitor the folds in the tectonic plates in the region. "We're really trying to understand zones around the world that produce large earthquakes," said Nathan L. Bangs, senior research scientist, Institute for Geophysics at the University of Texas-Austin. "This is a scientific pursuit to understand the process of subduction zones, which are the settings that produce large earthquakes."