Víctor Manuel CRUZ-ATIENZA

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Instituto de Geofísica, Departamento de Sismología
Circuito de la Investigación Científica s/n
Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, Ciudad de México
Phone: + (5255) 56-22-41-26 (ext 140)
E-mail: cruz@geofisica.unam.mx

Curriculum

Publications

Conferences

 

- Curiosity, intuition, creativity, passion and discipline -

Full Professor at the Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM

Investigador Titular C, PRIDE nivel D, SNI nivel 3

I’m interested in the physics of earthquakes, from the rupture process to the seismic site effects. I develop theory to look for and interpret observations in terms of physically-consistent fault processes and properties of the solid earth. Data inversion techniques and forward modeling are my primary tools. I’m involved with the earthquake source dynamics, slow earthquakes, wave propagation and the earth structure.

ResearcherID

Google Scholar

ORCID

Scientific projects:

Ongoing

• NSF: Quantifying incoming plate hydration and role of fluids on megathrust properties in and around the Guerrero Gap, offshore Mexico. Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (Columbia University, USA) and Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM. Years 2022-2025. (co-PI) Normal modes of marine geophysics
• SATREPS: Hazard Assessment of Large Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Mexican Pacific Coast for Disaster Mitigation. Mexico and Japan bilateral cooperation (JICA-JST-UNAM-CENAPRED). Years 2016-2022 (Mexican PI) (This documentary won the National Journalism Award in 2018)
• CONACyT: Estimación del Peligro Sísmico y Tsunamigénico en la Brecha Sísmica de Guerrero para la Prevención de Desastres. Number 6471. Problemas Nacionales, Years 2019-2022  (PI)
• PAPIIT: Slow Slip Events (SSE) and interplate coupling in the Mexican subduction zone and La Venta-Chacalapa fault system as the constituents of the seismic cycle. Number IG100921. Years 2021-2023 (co-PI) 

Former

• PAPIIT: Assessment of the Seismic and Tsunamigenic Potentials in the Guerrero Seismic Gap. Number IG100617. Years 2017-2019 (co-PI)
• CONACyT: Seismic and Tsunamigenic Hazard Assessment in the Guerrero Seismic Gap. Number 273832. Year 2016 (PI)
• PAPIIT: Analysis of tectonic tremors in south-central Mexico and poroelastic modeling of the associated slow earthquakes. Number IN113814. Years 2014-2016 (PI)
• CONACyT: Deterministic modelling of strong motions from large expected earthquakes in the Himalayas and Central Mexico. Number 164056, bilateral cooperation between Mexico-India. Years 2011-2013 (Mexican PI)
• Marie Curie: High Performance Computing for Geophysical Applications (HPC-GA). International Research Staff Exchange Scheme. Number 295217. European Commission. Years 2012-2014 (Mexican PI)
• CONACyT: Toward the integration of a regional velocity model for numerical simulation of ground motions in the Valley of Mexico. Number 80205. Years 2009-2011 (PI)
• PAPIIT: Dynamic source inversion of Mexican earthquakes. Number IN119409. Years 2009-2011 (PI)
• Internal Grant: The seismic cycle: aftershocks, rupture speed and friction. Year 2008 (PI)

A glance of my (old) work:

• The 1992 Landers earthquake: effects of fault geometry during the 3D spontaneous rupture
• Dynamically consistent 3D ground motion predictions: earthquake simulations
• Dynamic rupture scenarios for Southern California: stochastic stresses in realistic media
• 3D wave propagation in the Nice area: topographic and bathymetric effects
• 2D dynamic rupture: numerical modeling of nonplanar faults in heterogeneous media
• 3D non-planar rupture under tectonic load: homogeneous space and heterogeneous half space

Team:

Currently

• Josué TAGO, Associate Professor in the School of Engineering at UNAM (Applied mathematics for geophysics)
• Carlos VILLAFUERTE, Posdoctoral reseracher (Laboratoire de Géologie, École Normale Supérieur, Paris)
• John DIAZ, PhD student (Seismic hazard in Mexico City from dynamic earthquake scenarios)
• Ana ROCHER, MSc student (Regional structure determination)

Former

• Carlos VILLAFUERTE, PhD Degree. Slow Slip Events and Tectonic Tremor in the Mexican Subduction Zone: Implications for Seismic Hazard (download thesis)
• Aron MIRWALD, MSc Degree. Dynamic source inversion of Mexican earthquakes (download thesis)
• Emmanuel CABALLERO, MSc Degree. Moment tensor inversion of tectonic tremors (download thesis)
• Carlos VILLAFUERTE, MSc Degree. Fluid diffusion by silent earthquakes (download thesis)
• José David SANABRIA, Postdoc. 3D ground motion simulations in extreme basins models
• Josué TAGO, PhD Degree. (details) (download thesis)
• John DIAZ, MSc Degree. (details) (download thesis)
• Carlos VILLAFUERTE, Engineering Degree. (details) (download thesis)
• Graciela ROJO, Physics Bachelor Degree. Crustal structure from receiver functions (download thesis)
• Emmanuel CABALLERO, Engineering Degree. Tectonic tremor analysis (download thesis)
• Ana ROCHER, Engineering Degree. (details) (download thesis)

Teaching:

• Complex Variable Analysis. Graduate course, School of Engineering, UNAM
• Introduction to Seismology. Postgraduate course, Institute of Geophysics, UNAM (details)
• Advanced Seismology. Postgraduate course, Institute of Geophysics, UNAM (details)

Theses:

• PhD Thesis, 2006 (french & english)
• MSc Thesis, 2001 (spanish & english)
• Engineering Thesis, 2000 (spanish)

Scientific Outreach: Book: "Los Sismos. Una Amenaza Cotidiana" (2013, ISBN: 978-607-8205-05-9) by "La Caja de Cerillos Ediciones" (more than 25,000 books sold) Book presentation press release Interview on CNN with Carmen Aristegui (click here) Interview on Canal 22 with Laura Barrera (click here) Interview on Canal 11 with Javier Solórzano (click here) Interview on TV Azteca with Iván Carrillo (click here) Television, radio and magazines interviews (click here) Sismociones Libres Homepage (click here)