CHARLESTON, SC AREA EARTHQUAKE HAZARD MAPPING PILOT STUDY PROJECT: MAPPING HAZARDS IN AN URBAN AREA

This paper explores the Charleston, SC Area Earthquake Hazard Mapping Pilot Study Project (CAEHMP). Urban seismic hazard mapping projects have been conducted nationwide. Developing better risk potential maps are essential to identification and mitigation projects that are used by scientists and emergency managers alike. In the central and eastern US (CEUS), urban hazard mapping projects have been completed for Evansville, IN, are being completed in St. Louis, MO-IL, and are being updated in Memphis, TN. High earthquake hazard is not limited into the central US and is also significant in the eastern US, particularly in the Charleston, SC area.

This study documents and provides information about a technical working group (TWG) developed for the Charleston Region. The role of the group has been to review past and current earthquake hazard research and create an initial pilot study for the Charleston and Summerville, SC quadrangles to develop and refine refining hazard mapping procedures and products Charleston, SC area. Part of the project is to develop the Community Velocity Model by integrating available geological, geophysical and geotechnical information on the depths and thickness of lithologic units and their shear wave velocities for the coastal plain sediments underlying the CAEHMP region. This paper discusses the amount and kinds of geological and geotechnical information needed to properly model site response, and the impact on loss estimates of various hazard models. The Pilot study products for the Charleston, SC quadrangle will include; Seismic hazard maps with the effect of local geology, liquefaction hazard maps (probabilistic and scenario) and preliminary HAZUS analysis of potential losses. Data products from the project and web GIS deployment of data sets will be shown.