HR: 1330h
AN: S52C-0149    [PDF]
TI: Contemporary Strong-motion Network in Southwestern Canada
AU: * Bird, A L
EM: bird@pgc.nrcan.gc.ca
AF: Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Geoscience Centre 9860 West Saanich Road P.O.Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2 Canada
AU: Rosenberger, A
EM: rosenberger@pgc.nrcan.gc.ca
AF: Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Geoscience Centre 9860 West Saanich Road P.O.Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2 Canada
AU: Cassidy, J
EM: cassidy@pgc.nrcan.gc.ca
AF: Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Geoscience Centre 9860 West Saanich Road P.O.Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2 Canada
AU: Onur, T
EM: onur@pgc.nrcan.gc.ca
AF: Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Geoscience Centre 9860 West Saanich Road P.O.Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2 Canada
AU: Rogers, G
EM: rogers@pgc.nrcan.gc.ca
AF: Geological Survey of Canada, Pacific Geoscience Centre 9860 West Saanich Road P.O.Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2 Canada
AB: Contemporary digital strong-motion instruments, designed by the Geological Survey of Canada, have recently replaced the traditional analogue network in southwestern Canada. The newly designed and built three-component accelerometers are inexpensive to both produce and operate, and provide data retrieval and basic maintenance via the internet. Continuous 0.1-42~Hz data streams of acceleration, velocity and displacement are computed in real-time by the instrument's embedded computer. Upon detection of an event, peak ground motion values are reported to the data centre. The majority of strong-motion instruments are installed in greater Vancouver and Victoria, key areas of vulnerability as they lie in one of the most seismically active and populous areas of the country. One of the focusses of the network design is to study the response of the thick sediments of the Fraser River delta. Instruments are deployed in the urban regions on sites which vary from bedrock to more than 300~m of sediment, and may experience basin-edge effects associated with the delta. Upgrading and densification of the strong motion network in southwest BC will allow for accurate maps showing instrumental intensity to be produced within minutes of a serious earthquake, providing emergency services and city workers with the means to respond efficiently. Prior to such an event, records of smaller events can illuminate areas of high risk and aid in urban planning.
DE: 7212 Earthquake ground motions and engineering
DE: 7294 Instruments and techniques
SC: Seismology [S]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting