Abstract Title: Tests and Applications of 3-D Geophysical Model Assembly for 
the Great Basin

Abstract Author(s): John N. Louie, Aasha Pancha, Glenn P. Biasi, Weston Thelen, 
James B. Scott, Nevada Seismological Lab 174, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 
89557, louie@seismo.unr.edu; Mark F. Coolbaugh, Great Basin Center for 
Geothermal Energy, University of Nevada, Reno; and Shawn Larsen, Lawrence 
Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA.

Abstract: Assembling 3-d geophysical models of the western Great Basin region 
is a critical task for regional geothermal and earthquake hazard assessments. 
Diverse data sets having highly variable spatial sampling demand we assemble 
trial models testing needs for new data. Unlike the SCEC effort, we describe 
our models with point-profile values rather than with 3-d surfaces. Testing of 
data-selection and spatial interpolation criteria is needed for each 
application. Crustal-scale, basin-scale, geologic map-scale, and 
geotechnical-scale data sets are merged to produce grids for regional 
seismic-wave modeling. Our assembled models have helped separate magmatic from 
extensional types of geothermal systems, and have advanced our understanding of 
the geophysical parameters most important to predicting earthquake shaking.