Hi everyone,
I’ve completed a browser-based tool for exploring and teaching earthquake focal mechanisms and wanted to share it with the SeisComP community:
It’s an interactive visualisation where you can adjust the strike, dip, and rake sliders and see the beachball diagram, 3D block diagram, cross-section, and P-wave radiation pattern all update in real time.
Some features that may be useful for training and monitoring workflows:
- 3D block diagram: Animated fault motion synchronized with the beachball — helps explain the connection between fault geometry and the diagram to junior analysts
- Non-double-couple sources: ISO and CLVD sliders with a Hudson plot, useful for volcanic or induced seismicity analysis
- USGS earthquake search: Load real events with known mechanisms directly from the USGS catalog, with beachball markers on the map
- Step-by-step walkthrough: An 8-step animated sequence that builds up from fault plane to complete beachball pattern, showing how nodal planes and P/T axes relate
- CSV/manual polarity import: Bring in your own station data to verify first-motion solutions
- Preset library: Quick-load common fault types including historical events (2023 Turkey sequence, Tohoku, etc.)
The motivation was to have a “sandbox” where parameters can be manipulated freely and the visual impact is immediate — something that’s been missing when explaining focal mechanisms to non-seismologists or during analyst training sessions.
No installation needed; it runs entirely in the browser. Feedback and feature suggestions are very welcome.
Best regards,
Mustafa