State-of-the-Art for Assessing Earthquake Hazards in the United States. Report 16. The Relation of Sustained Maximum Ground Acceleration and Velocity to Earthquake Intensity and Magnitude.

Abstract

Sustained maximum ground acceleration and velocity are measures of the strongest prolonged, rather than peak, acceleration and velocity. In this report the sustained maximum ground acceleration, velocity and duration are given for the accelerograms contained in the California Institute of Technology collection, Parts A-Y. Correlations are presented between sustained maximum acceleration, velocity and the product of acceleration and duration versus MM intensity. In order to compare western United States earthquakes with earthquakes occurring in other parts of the world, relations are developed between the local and Richter magnitude scales and the more universal body-wave and surface-wave magnitude scales. The fall-off of ground acceleration and velocity as a function of distance from the fault rupture and body-wave magnitude is determined for western United States, coastal California and central United States earthquakes. The logarithm of the sustained maximum acceleration is shown to scale as 0.5 times the body-wave magnitude, and the logarithm of the sustained maximum velocity is shown to scale as the body-wave magnitude. The vertical components of ground acceleration and velocity are found to have very nearly one-half the amplitude of the larger of the two horizontal components of strong ground motion for western United States earthquakes.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1979
Accession Number
ADA079918

Entities

People

  • Otto W. Nuttli

Organizations

  • Saint Louis University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amplitude
  • California
  • Continents
  • Earthquakes
  • Geographic Regions
  • Intensity
  • Surface Waves
  • United States
  • Waves

Fields of Study

  • Geology

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Seismology