COUNTY-SCALE SOIL MAPS FOR SEISMIC-MITIGATION AND SEISMIC-HAZARD PLANNING IN KENTUCKY

The Kentucky Geological Survey is producing county-scale engineering soil maps that show areas potentially susceptible to seismic ground-motion amplification, seismic liquefaction, and earthquake-induced landslides. These maps are produced to be specifically compatible with FEMA’s HAZUS loss-estimation software modules, to facilitate integration into local and regional seismic-hazard assessment and loss-estimation projects. Completed digital data, as well as an overview poster, explanatory report, and public workshop, are provided to client agencies. The results are designed to be useful to emergency managers and planners at the local and regional level.

Component interpretive layers are developed using guidance from the HAZUS technical manual. Potential for ground-motion amplification is represented by the NEHRP soil classification. Surficial geologic maps, interpretations of bedrock depth, seismic shear-wave velocity data, and subsurface records such as boring logs and geotechnical analyses are combined to generate the regional NEHRP soil classification. Liquefaction potential is inferred by considering the age and depositional process of the various mapped sediments and soils. Landslide potential is estimated using a combination of mapped materials and slope angle.