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Project Details

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Project Information Sheet 2002-11

Statewide seismic hazard project

Funding Source:	Indiana State Emergency Management Agency
Period of Contract:	1 Dec 2003 to 1 Dec 2004
Status:	completed — Definition of status type
Project Director:	John R. Hill

Issue

Although southwestern Indiana is subject to the greatest seismic hazard within the state, the Indiana State Emergency Management Agency has requested a model that depicts the aggregate seismic hazard for all 92 counties.

Objective

In collaboration with Purdue University, we created a GIS that depicts the seismic hazard for the entire state of Indiana. The final product includes stochastic acceleration maps for various earthquake scenarios along with layers indicating the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) soil classification types (for example, amplification effects as well as liquefaction potential).

Approach

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) acceleration maps are computer-generated from data gathered from throughout the nation. We have been able to replicate the maps using USGS software. Glacial terrain mapping and subsurface data from Indiana Geological Survey files will be used along with newly measured shear-wave data to construct NEHRP soils rankings for the major types of unconsolidated materials. Taken together, the acceleration information and NEHRP data provided a good first approximation to the statewide seismic hazard.

Products

The various maps and geologic terrain models will be portrayed as geographic information system (GIS) layers.

Benefits

From the statewide seismic hazard GIS, the Indiana State Emergency Management Agency will be able to run seismic risk scenarios for each of the 92 counties in Indiana. Further, the Indiana Department of Transportation will use the information to guide their proposed highway and bridge retrofit program, particularly in southwestern Indiana counties.

Locations Affected:

state

Indiana House Districts Affected:

all

Indiana Senate Districts Affected:

all

Information Updated February 2, 2007

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