The 2018 update of the US National Seismic Hazard Model: Ground motion models in the western US

Earthquake Spectra
By: , and 

Links

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) is the scientific foundation of seismic design regulations in the United States and is regularly updated to consider the best available science and data. The 2018 update of the conterminous U.S. NSHM includes significant changes to the underlying ground motion models (GMMs), most of which are necessary to enable the new multi-period response spectra (MPRS) requirements of seismic design regulations that use hazard results for 22 spectral periods and eight site classes. This article focuses on the GMMs used in the western United States (WUS) and is a companion to a recent article on the GMMs used in the central and eastern United States (CEUS). In the WUS, for crustal and subduction earthquakes, two models used in previous versions of the NSHM are excluded to provide consistency over all considered periods and site classes. To more accurately estimate ground motions at long periods in the vicinity of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Seattle, the 2018 NSHM incorporates deep sedimentary basin depth from local seismic velocity models. The subduction GMMs considered lack basin depth terms and are modified to include an additional scale factor to account for this. This article documents the WUS GMMs used in the 2018 NSHM update and provides detail on the changes to GMM medians, aleatory variability, epistemic uncertainty, and site-effect models. It compares each of these components with those considered in prior NSHMs and discusses their total effect on hazard.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title The 2018 update of the US National Seismic Hazard Model: Ground motion models in the western US
Series title Earthquake Spectra
DOI 10.1177/87552930211011200
Volume 37
Issue 4
Year Published 2021
Language English
Publisher Sage Publications
Contributing office(s) Geologic Hazards Science Center
Description 28 p.
First page 2315
Last page 2341
Country United States
State Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details