Quick
Search: 
 
advanced search
 GSW Home    GeoRef Home    My GSW Alerts    Contact GSW    About GSW    Journals List    Help 
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America Don't get GSW? Talk to your librarian.
JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America; August 2003; v. 93; no. 4; p. 1703-1729; DOI: 10.1785/0120020156
© 2003 Seismological Society of America
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Electronic Supplement
Right arrow An erratum has been published
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (46)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Atkinson, G. M.
Right arrow Articles by Boore, D. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
GeoRef
Right arrow GeoRef Citation

Article

Empirical Ground-Motion Relations for Subduction-Zone Earthquakes and Their Application to Cascadia and Other Regions

Gail M. Atkinson and David M. Boore

Dept. of Earth Sciences
Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1S 5B6
gma{at}ccs.carleton.ca
(G.M.A.)
U.S. Geological Survey
345 Middlefield Rd.
Menlo Park, California 94025
boore{at}usgs.gov
(D.M.B.)

Manuscript received 15 July 2002.

Ground-motion relations for earthquakes that occur in subduction zones are an important input to seismic-hazard analyses in many parts of the world. In the Cascadia region (Washington, Oregon, northern California, and British Columbia), for example, there is a significant hazard from megathrust earthquakes along the subduction interface and from large events within the subducting slab. These hazards are in addition to the hazard from shallow earthquakes in the overlying crust. We have compiled a response spectra database from thousands of strong-motion recordings from events of moment magnitude (M) 5-8.3 occurring in subduction zones around the world, including both interface and in-slab events. The 2001 M 6.8 Nisqually and 1999 M 5.9 Satsop earthquakes are included in the database, as are many records from subduction zones in Japan (Kyoshin-Net data), Mexico (Guerrero data), and Central America. The size of the database is four times larger than that available for previous empirical regressions to determine ground-motion relations for subduction-zone earthquakes. The large dataset enables improved determination of attenuation parameters and magnitude scaling, for both interface and in-slab events. Soil response parameters are also better determined by the data.

We use the database to develop global ground-motion relations for interface and in-slab earthquakes, using a maximum likelihood regression method. We analyze regional variability of ground-motion amplitudes across the global database and find that there are significant regional differences. In particular, amplitudes in Cascadia differ by more than a factor of 2 from those in Japan for the same magnitude, distance, event type, and National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) soil class. This is believed to be due to regional differences in the depth of the soil profile, which are not captured by the NEHRP site classification scheme. Regional correction factors to account for these differences are proposed for Cascadia and Japan.

The results of this study differ significantly from previous analyses based on more limited data and have important implications for seismic-hazard analysis. The ground-motion relations predict that a great megathrust earthquake (M ≥8) at a fault distance of about 100 km would produce pseudoacceleration (PSA), 5% damped, horizontal component on soil sites of about 110 cm/sec2 at 0.5 Hz, 660 cm/sec2 at 2.5 Hz, and 410 cm/sec2 at 5 Hz, with a peak ground acceleration of about 180 cm/sec2. These damaging levels of motion would be experienced over a very large area, corresponding to a rectangular area about 300 km wide by 500 km long. Large in-slab events (M 7.5) would produce even higher PSA values within 100 km of the fault, but the in-slab motions attenuate much more rapidly with distance. Thus the hazard posed by moderate to large in-slab events such as the 2001 Nisqually earthquake is modest compared to that of a Cascadia megathrust earthquake of M ≥8, in terms of the area that would experience damaging levels of ground motion.

Online material: table of data used in the regression analysis.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
K. Goda and G. M. Atkinson
Probabilistic Characterization of Spatially Correlated Response Spectra for Earthquakes in Japan
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 2009; 99(5): 3003 - 3020.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
G. M. Atkinson and M. Morrison
Observations on Regional Variability in Ground-Motion Amplitudes for Small-to-Moderate Earthquakes in North America
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 2009; 99(4): 2393 - 2409.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
D. M. Boore, A. A. Skarlatoudis, B. N. Margaris, C. B. Papazachos, and C. Ventouzi
Along-Arc and Back-Arc Attenuation, Site Response, and Source Spectrum for the Intermediate-Depth 8 January 2006 M 6.7 Kythera, Greece, Earthquake
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 2009; 99(4): 2410 - 2434.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
C. Goldfinger, J. Patton, A. Morey, and C. H. Nelson
Reply to "Comment on 'Late Holocene Rupture of the Northern San Andreas Fault and Possible Stress Linkage to the Cascadia Subduction Zone' by Chris Goldfinger, Kelly Grijalva, Roland Burgmann, Ann E. Morey, Joel E. Johnson, C. Hans Nelson, Julia Gutierrez-Pastor, Andrew Ericsson, Eugene Karabanov, Jason D. Chaytor, Jason Patton, and Eulalia Gracia" by Ganapathy Shanmugam
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 2009; 99(4): 2599 - 2606.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
D. Garcia, S. K. Singh, M. Herraiz, M. Ordaz, and J. Francisco Pacheco
Erratum to Inslab Earthquakes of Central Mexico: Peak Ground-Motion Parameters and Response Spectra
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 2009; 99(4): 2607 - 2609.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
G. M. Atkinson and M. Macias
Predicted Ground Motions for Great Interface Earthquakes in the Cascadia Subduction Zone
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 2009; 99(3): 1552 - 1578.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Seismological  Research LettersHome page
Z. Wang
Comment on "Sigma: Issues, Insights, and Challenges" by F. O. Strasser, N. A. Abrahamson, and J. J. Bommer
Seismological Research Letters, May 1, 2009; 80(3): 491 - 493.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
A. A. Skarlatoudis, C. B. Papazachos, B. N. Margaris, Ch. Papaioannou, Ch. Ventouzi, D. Vamvakaris, A. Bruestle, T. Meier, W. Friederich, G. Stavrakakis, et al.
Combination of Acceleration-Sensor and Broadband Velocity-Sensor Recordings for Attenuation Studies: The Case of the 8 January 2006 Kythera Intermediate-Depth Earthquake
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 2009; 99(2A): 694 - 704.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Seismological  Research LettersHome page
F. O. Strasser, N. A. Abrahamson, and J. J. Bommer
Sigma: Issues, Insights, and Challenges
Seismological Research Letters, January 1, 2009; 80(1): 40 - 56.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
G. M. Atkinson and D. M. Boore
Erratum to Empirical Ground-Motion Relations for Subduction Zone Earthquakes and Their Application to Cascadia and Other Regions
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 2008; 98(5): 2567 - 2569.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
M. Macias, G. M. Atkinson, and D. Motazedian
Ground-Motion Attenuation, Source, and Site Effects for the 26 September 2003 M 8.1 Tokachi-Oki Earthquake Sequence
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 2008; 98(4): 1947 - 1963.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
A. Fatehi and R. B. Herrmann
High-Frequency Ground-Motion Scaling in the Pacific Northwest and in Northern and Central California
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 2008; 98(2): 709 - 721.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
P.-S. Lin and C.-T. Lee
Ground-Motion Attenuation Relationships for Subduction-Zone Earthquakes in Northeastern Taiwan
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 2008; 98(1): 220 - 240.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
S. Akkar and J. J. Bommer
Empirical Prediction Equations for Peak Ground Velocity Derived from Strong-Motion Records from Europe and the Middle East
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 2007; 97(2): 511 - 530.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Geological Society of America Special PapersHome page
G. M. Atkinson
Challenges in seismic hazard analysis for continental interiors
Geological Society of America Special Papers, January 1, 2007; 425(0): 329 - 344.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Seismological  Research LettersHome page
M. D. Petersen, T. Cao, K. W. Campbell, and A. D. Frankel
Time-independent and Time-dependent Seismic Hazard Assessment for the State of California: Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast Model 1.0
Seismological Research Letters, January 1, 2007; 78(1): 99 - 109.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
G. A. Ichinose, H. K. Thio, and P. G. Somerville
Moment Tensor and Rupture Model for the 1949 Olympia, Washington, Earthquake and Scaling Relations for Cascadia and Global Intraslab Earthquakes
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 2006; 96(3): 1029 - 1037.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
T. Cao, M. D. Petersen, and A. D. Frankel
Model Uncertainties of the 2002 Update of California Seismic Hazard Maps
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2005; 95(6): 2040 - 2057.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
D. Garcia, S. K. Singh, M. Herraiz, M. Ordaz, and J. F. Pacheco
Inslab Earthquakes of Central Mexico: Peak Ground-Motion Parameters and Response Spectra
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2005; 95(6): 2272 - 2282.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
Inslab Earthquakes of Central Mexico: Q, Source Spectra, and Stress Drop
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 2004; 94(3): 789 - 802.



Home page
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of AmericaHome page
D. M. Boore
Estimating Vs(30) (or NEHRP Site Classes) from Shallow Velocity Models (Depths < 30 m)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 2004; 94(2): 591 - 597.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2009 by Seismological Society of America