On the Average Probability Distribution of Peak Ground Acceleration in the U.S. Continent Due to Strong Earthquakes,

摘要

The primary objective of this study is to obtain an estimate of the average probabilities of different magnitudes of peak horizontal ground acceleration due to seismic events east of the Rocky Mountains. Past history is used to provide an average seismicity,and future earthquakes are assumed to occur randomly with regard to location and time. Since data for earthquakes of appreciable magnitude in the eastern United States during the 20th Century are limited,the seismic history of various regions around the world having a seismicity and geological structure similar to the eastern United States is lumped with data for the latter,in order to obtain a more representative estimate of average seismicity. Regions included are:Western and Central Europe,Arabian Continent,Southeastern Asia,Brazil,India,Canada,Australia,and Antarctic. For comparison,Western United States is also analyzed for average probabilities of ground accelerations. The risk analysis can be a factor in site selection for nuclear power plants.