USGS Western Earthquake Hazards Team's Earthquake Effects Project staff are currently conducting research that include the following areas:

• Earthquake Engineering – M. Celebi
  1)   Structural Response and SSI Research – Conduct studies of structural response and Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) for improvements in NEHRP/UBC building codes.
  2)   Structural Testing and Post Earthquake Studies – Conduct, evaluate and recommend appropriate dynamic tests to infer in-situ structural response for earthquake safety evaluations and develop post earthquake loss reconnaissance capabilities.

• Strong-Motion Prediction – D. Boore. Develop equations to predict strong motion as a function of earthquake magnitude, distance, and geologic conditions.

• Surface-Wave Site Characterization – Develop and evaluate surface wave inversion techniques as a cost effective alternative to drilling boreholes and borehole characterizations of local site response in order to interpret critical strong-motion recordings of damaging earthquakes. Analyze and publish results from array measurements of surface waves. Study influences of higher-order-mode surface-waves and lateral heterogeneity at sites.

• NEHRP/UBC Site Amplification Factors, Predictive GIS Maps of Ground Shaking, and Anelastic Wave Propagation – R. Borcherdt. Empirical and theoretical studies of soil response for NEHRP, UBC, and AASHTO site-specific, code provisions and site classes for CA law AB-3897, Predictive GIS maps of ground shaking for SF Bay Region.

• Dynamic Rupture Propagation – P. Spudich. Develop dynamically appropriate rupture models for large earthquakes.

• Santa Clara Valley Weak Motion Array & UPSAR – J. Fletcher. Implement finite difference models of wave propagation for large earthquakes in the Bay Area that include basin response and near-fault effects.

• Probabilistic Seismic Hazard – T. Hanks. Further develop the methodology and constrain the uncertainties critical for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis.

• Ground Motion Maps for Scenario Earthquakes – J. Boatwright. Map the expected ground motion, intensity, landslides, and ground failure for a set of scenario earthquakes in the Bay Area.