HR: 14:00h
AN: S13C-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Role of the Kentucky Geological Survey in Implementing IBC-2000 and IRC-2000 in Kentucky: Better Communication of Seismic Hazard and Risk Assessment
AU: * Wang, Z
EM: zmwang@uky.edu
AF: Kentucky Geological Survey, 228 Mining and Mineral Resources Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506 United States
AB: The 2000 International Building Code (IBC-2000) and International Residential Code (IRC-2000) were adopted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2001 and became KBC-2002 and KRC-2002. IBC-2000 and IRC-2000 were based on the probabilistic seismic hazard maps with 2 percent probability of exceedance (PE) in 50 years, produced by the U.S. Geological Survey using probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). There were many problems, however, in implementing KBC-2002 and KRC-2002 in Kentucky, particularly in the western part of the state. The main problem is the extremely high design ground motion (0.6g PGA or higher), in the Jackson Purchase Region of western Kentucky. This extremely high design ground motion has resulted in difficulties in formulating and implementing good mitigation policies in the region. It also severely hinders economic development in the region. The Kentucky Geological Survey has been called upon by the Commonwealth and other State agencies to address the problem. The key findings by the Kentucky Geological Survey are that (1) earth scientists who conduct seismic hazard and risk assessments have not made sufficient effort to communicate their products and (2) seismic hazard and risk are understood differently by the producers (earth scientists) and users (engineers and policy-makers). Even worse, seismic hazard and risk assessments have been incorrectly communicated. For example, the ground motion with 2 percent PE in 50 years has been communicated as the ground motion that will occur in 2,500 years; it actually means there is about a 20 percent probability of that ground motion being exceeded if an earthquake of about M7.7 occurs in 500 years in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. These miscommunications and misunderstandings contribute to the difficulty in adopting and implementing policies for mitigating seismic hazard and risk.
DE: 7212 Earthquake ground motions and engineering seismology
SC: Seismology [S]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005