Underworld2: Python Geodynamics Modelling for Desktop, HPC and Cloud
John Mansour, Julian Giordani, Louis Moresi, Romain Beucher, Owen Kaluza, Mirko Velić, Rebecca Farrington, Steve Quenette, Adam Beall
Abstract
The modelling of long time-scale solid-Earth processes presents challenges on many fronts. Typically a large range of length scales must be resolved, and computational requirements can easily go beyond a desktop machine's capability, even in 2-dimensions. Rheological behaviours are diverse and modellers often wish to investigate a spectrum of dynamics. With this also comes the requirement of robust solution strategies capable of capturing a system of large dynamic range. Time dependent aspects of a model also require careful consideration such that numerical artefacts do not subsume the required signal. Underworld2 is a Python API which seeks to meet these challenges, while also providing a friendly and intuitive interface to model development.