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U.S. Geological Survey’s ShakeMap Atlas 4.0 and AtlasCat

Description: 

The long-awaited update to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap Atlas, and its new companion catalog, AtlasCat, are now available. ShakeMap Atlas 4.0 is an openly available, self-consistent, calibrated collection of over 14,000 ShakeMaps of global earthquakes that occurred between 1900 and 2022. The Atlas 4.0 ShakeMaps depict the spatial distribution of shaking for a suite of historical events, focusing on earthquakes that were widely felt, caused reported damage, or resulted in casualties. Atlas 4.0 uses the latest, much-improved, and enhanced version of the ShakeMap software, an updated earthquake source catalog, weighted suites of prediction and conversion equations, expanded strong motion and macroseismic datasets, and finite-fault geometries. By coupling loss data for each event with a depiction of the shaking distribution for a suite of canonical earthquakes, the Atlas aims to provide a basis for earthquake loss model calibration, as well as seismic hazard, scenario, risk, and loss model development and testing. Therefore, we have compiled losses and the population exposed to each intensity level, along with metadata for input shaking constraints, for all Atlas events into a single catalog, AtlasCat. Previous versions of the Atlas had two companion catalogs, PAGER-CAT (loss-focused) and EXPO-CAT (exposure-focused); however, we have found it best to combine all the Atlas companion information into a single database for ease of use. While the initial motivation for developing the ShakeMap Atlas was calibrating the USGS Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) system, over time, the Atlas has proved to be a valuable tool for other users and, as such, we have expanded its scope in this newest version.

Session: ShakeMap-related Research, Development, Operations, Applications and Uses

Type: Oral

Date: 4/19/2023

Presentation Time: 05:30 PM (local time)

Presenting Author: Kristin D. Marano

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Authors