For realistic geodynamo simulations, one must solve the magnetohydrodynamic equations to follow time development of thermal convection motion of electrically conducting fluid in a rotating spherical shell. We have developed a new geodynamo simulation code by combining the finite difference method with the recently proposed spherical overset grid called Yin-Yang grid. We achieved performance of 15.2 Tflops (46% of theoretical peak performance) on 4096 processors of the Earth Simulator.

Abstract Solid earth simulations have recently been developed to address issues such as natural disasters, global environmental destruction and the conservation of natural resources. The simulation of solid earth phenomena involves the analysis of complex structures including strata, faults, and heterogeneous material properties. Simulation of the generation and cycle of earthquakes is particularly important, but such simulations require the analysis of complex fault dynamics. GeoFEM is a parallel finite‐element analysis system intended for solid earth field phenomena problems. This paper describes recent development in the GeoFEM project for the simulation of earthquake generation and cycles. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.