2016 SCEC Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake Information Technology (USEIT): Loss Analysis of Earthquake Sequences

Sophia Belvoir, Vianca E. Severino Rivas, Jenepher M. Zamora, Jadson da Silva Lima, Luis J. Gomez, Jozi K. Pearson, Mark L. Benthien, & Thomas H. Jordan

Published August 4, 2016, SCEC Contribution #6498, 2016 SCEC Annual Meeting Poster #333

The 2016 Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake Information Technology (USE-IT) intern research program challenged the Hazard and Risk Visualization Team to illustrate threatening and probable multi-event earthquake scenarios in California using ShakeMaps and risk analysis maps. The interns are implementing FEMA’s Hazards United States (HAZUS) software to estimate and visualize the potential losses including physical damage of infrastructure, economic loss, and social impacts of these multi-earthquake sequences. This is the first time multiple events will be analyzed with HAZUS. As a team based project, USEIT interns depend on collaboration with other working groups within the intern program to identify potential earthquake sequences. The Rate-State earthQuake Simulator (RSQSim) was run on a high performance computer (HPC) to generate catalogs of events. Rupture sequences were then selected to be visualized in SCEC-VDO. Earthquake sequences that were seen as most threatening had ShakeMap files created utilizing seismic hazard analysis (OpenSHA) software. Multiple events were combined as single ShakeMaps and imported into HAZUS for analysis. Ground motion values were combined and calculated in two different ways for multi-event ShakeMaps: 1) by using the greatest value and 2) sum of the squares, where the maps overlap. The greatest value method proves more appropriate for events that are further apart geographically. The sum of the squares method is ideal for events that are closer together. This year interns can illustrate the most threatening multi-event scenarios with hazard and risk maps providing colleagues and the public with alternate scenarios to help create and revise safety plans, guidelines, and economic strategies. In California, most of the population is expecting the "Big One", but we are also interested in scenarios that involve more than one large (M7+) event within the same year, same month, same week, and even the same day on the San Andreas Fault, as well as other threatening southern California faults.

Key Words
Multiple Event Earthquake Scenarios, HAZUS, San Andreas Fault System, RSQSim, USEIT

Citation
Belvoir, S., Severino Rivas, V. E., Zamora, J. M., da Silva Lima, J., Gomez, L. J., Pearson, J. K., Benthien, M. L., & Jordan, T. H. (2016, 08). 2016 SCEC Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake Information Technology (USEIT): Loss Analysis of Earthquake Sequences. Poster Presentation at 2016 SCEC Annual Meeting.

Related Projects & Working Groups
Communication, Education, and Outreach (CEO)