RESEARCH
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.
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