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Largest and Characteristic Earthquakes in the U.S. East of the Rocky Mountains

by D. Veneziano, MIT, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Structural Safety and Reliability

Abstract:

A new statistical procedure is proposed for the estimation of maximum earthquake magnitude M in intraplate regions. Starting from a historical catalog of events and a seismotectonic classification of the region, the procedure estimates M as a function of location. In an application to eastern North America, M is found to depend on the local rate of seismicity v but, given v, M does not depend significantly on tectonic type or crustal age. In areas of low seismicity, M is estimated to be typically below 5.1, whereas at 'hot spots', M is often as large as 7.5 or 8.0. Evidence is found of characteristic events, which occur at a rate v_c proportional to v.

Subject Headings: Earthquakes | Statistics | Seismic tests | Seismic effects | Bayesian analysis | Risk management | Spatial distribution | Rocky Mountains | North America

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