← Back to Sessions

Geospatial Scope of the 2025 Puerto Rico-u.s. Virgin Islands National Seismic Hazard Model Update

Description: 

The National Seismic Hazard Model Project of the U.S. Geological Survey is tasked with modeling the seismic hazards from potentially damaging earthquakes for the 50 U.S. states and territories. The last comprehensive assessment for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (PRVI) was completed in 2003 and significant updates are currently being planned for a 2025 update to the model. The 2025 update will include new fault sources from ~24 new faults and up to 5 zones, an updated earthquake catalog, new geodetic deformation models, improved modeling of subduction zone geometries using SLAB2 (Hayes, 2018), new ground motion models (NGA-West2 and NGA-Subduction), site response models, and uncertainty estimates. To support the update, we have developed a geodatabase that organizes the PRVI input datasets including the geologic layers, geodesy, subduction zonation, and modeled seismicity. The Puerto Rico-northern Virgin Islands microplate is relatively rigid with major seismogenic structures located offshore. This setting requires a large footprint for analysis: a 330×260 km zone to encompass the crustal earthquake sources and a 1,340×1,050 km zone for the seismic catalog. Data at these varying scales are preserved in their respective layers and the database serves as a flexible hub for future updates.

Session: 2025 Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands National Seismic Hazard Model Update [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/18/2023

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Julie A. Herrick

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Authors