Distinguished Webinar Series in Earthquake Engineering and Seismology
Organized by the Canadian Association of Earthquake Engineering
Hazards to engineering structures from induced seismicity
Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RMvENWjzT6G-llmaih-cNA
Abstract
There has been a significant increase in the rate of earthquakes associated with hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal. The increased rate of seismicity and the potential for localized strong ground motions from very shallow events poses an increased hazard to critical infrastructure such as major dams—particularly for older high-consequence structures. I overview the factors that affect the likelihood of damaging ground motions and examine their implications for hazard assessment and mitigation. A strategy to reduce the likelihood of potentially damaging ground motions should contain elements of both mitigation and avoidance. For critical facilities, an effective strategy includes (i) an exclusion zone having a radius of ∼5 km; and (ii) a monitoring-and-response protocol to track the rate of events at the M> 2 level within 25 km, with adjustment of operational practices if required. An exclusion zone provides a deterministic safety margin to ensure the integrity of those few facilities for which failure consequences are unacceptable. Real-time monitoring tied to a response protocol can be used to control the rate of significant events and thereby limit the hazard more broadly.
Gail M. Atkinson
Professor Emeritus – Seismology / Geophysics
Department of Earth Sciences, Western University, Ontario, Canada
Short Bio
Gail Atkinson is a Professor Emeritus at Western University, Canada, who conducts research at the engineering-seismology interface. She specializes in seismic hazards and ground motions, with a focus over the past decade on hazards due to induced seismicity. She has been active in the development of seismic design regulations for buildings, dams, and nuclear power plants, has been involved in hundreds of site-specific seismic hazard evaluations, and has authored over 200 research articles. Professor Atkinson has served as President of both the Seismological Society of America and the Canadian Geophysical Union, currently serves as a member of the U.S. National Earthquake Hazard Mapping Advisory Board and the U.S. Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2021 she was recognized with the Harry Fielding Reid Medal of the Seismological Society of America, awarded for outstanding career contributions to seismology.