Fault Displacement Hazard Analysis Workshop in Menlo Park (USGS, California) - 8-9/12/2016 - Synthesis and Perspectives

Fault Displacement Hazard Analysis (FDHA) plays an important role in the risk assessment and design of both new and existing infrastructures located across and near active and potentially active faults. The primary objective of FDHA is to quantify the spatial distribution and amplitude of surface displacements and deformation caused by tectonic faulting.

Lessons learned from recent earthquakes, new research, and implementation of FDHA methodologies in projects, as well as recent guidance documents (e.g. ANS, 2015), provide the current perspective on FDHA in the assessment of tectonic surface deformation of engineering concern. However, compared to other types of seismic hazard analysis (ground motion, liquefaction, slope failure), this field is still considered by many to be in its early stages of development.

After a kick-off meeting in Paris (October 2015), sponsored by IRSN, the Menlo Park workshop, co-organized by USGS, CGS, INGV and IRSN, aimed at bringing together researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders interested in the topic of fault displacement, to discuss issues pertaining to FDHA,  and to develop a plan for moving FDHA research forward. The workshop was very successful in terms of the quality of presentations and discussions, as well as in attendance. It attracted more than 100 participants from 11 countries (USA, Chile, Japan, China, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, England, Italy, Austria and France), 8 major infrastructure stakeholders, 11 universities, 12 government agencies and laboratories, and 17 geologic engineering consulting companies.

The workshop included talks on “Lessons Learned from Recent Earthquakes” (6 talks), “Observational Data for the Surface Rupture during Earthquakes (SURE) Database” (6 talks), the “Application and Advances in Deterministic and Probabilistic Fault Displacement Hazard Analysis” (10 talks)” and possible ways for “Moving Forward” (2 talks). The abstracts and slideshows, as well as the attendance list and the schedule, are available on the website of the INQUA Focus Group on Earthquake Hazards (http://www.earthquakegeology.com/index.php?page=projects&s=4).

Researchers, especially from the US, Europe, Japan and New Zealand, are currently updating and compiling existing fault rupture data that will be incorporated into the SURE database, to complete the compilation performed by IRSN in 2017. The US stakeholders have identified potential funding partners (currently PEER [Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center] and PG&E [Pacific Gas and Electric Company]) for improving the Database (with western US data), which will be guided and managed by a US Executive committee. The International community will participate in this as much as possible and, in parallel, will identify sources and request funding for its own activities.