Call for models—a test case for the source inversion validation: The 2014 ML 5.5 Orkney, South Africa, earthquake

ABSTRACT We propose a test case for the Source Inversion Validation (SIV) community and other interested seismologists using high‐quality waveforms of the M L  5.5 Orkney, South Africa, earthquake. This rupture initiated ∼5  km below the surface and terminated several hundred meters below the deepest levels of a gold mine. The Orkney earthquake and its aftershock sequence were well recorded by a dense network of surface and in‐mine seismometers. In situ stress measurements and fault core through the rupture surface are anticipated to be available as part of the recently funded International Continental Scientific Drilling Program project to drill from within the mine into the Orkney earthquake rupture zone through a project titled “Drilling into Seismogenic Zones of M2.0‐M5.5 Earthquakes in South African gold mines.” The remarkable quality and range of geophysical data available for the M L  5.5 Orkney earthquake make this event an ideal test case for the SIV community using actual seismic data to determine the spatial and temporal evolution of earthquake rupture.