Abstract: This paper constructed a layered earth model based on PREM, with more than one million meshes. The displacement and stress fields induced by the fast change of earth's angular velocity were also computed using parallel finite element method. In this model, the lateral heterogeneity was taken into consideration, and the topography data and ellipticity of the earth were also integrated in this model to simulate a more realistic earth. The characteristics of the displacement and stress distribution were systematically analyzed, with the assumption that the fast angular velocity change is Δω/ω=2×10^-10 per year.

Key words: Earth's self-rotation, Lateral heterogeneity, PREM model, Parallel finite element computing