Development of locally representative seismic hazard models

Abstract

Seismic hazard studies in regions of low and moderate seismic activities often resort to the use of attenuation relationships developed elsewhere but there are always doubts as to whether these imported relationships are representative of local conditions. Numerous well established stochastic attenuation models have also been developed for applications in Central and Eastern North America. However, such intraplate models could not be generalised across the globe to other regions of low and moderate seismic activities. Modelling the spatial and temporal distribution of seismic activities can also be thwarted with difficulties because of the paucity of data. This paper presents the experiences of the authors in overcoming these challenges when undertaking seismic hazard studies in different countries. Topics covered in the paper include attenuation modelling and the evaluation of seismic hazards for the determination of the earthquake loading model for engineering design.