Leader: Ralph Currie

Accurate assessment of earthquake hazard in Canada and the mitigation strategies that result require an understanding of the processes that generate earthquakes and control their distribution and effects. Large earthquakes threaten the safety of Canadians in the densely populated region of southwestern British Columbia and the urbanized corridors along the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers in Ontario and Quebec. Similarly, large earthquakes in more remote regions targeted for hydrocarbon exploration and development create a significant risk. In light of the paucity of recorded seismic data for large earthquakes, the tectonic settings and processes that give rise to such earthquakes and the factors affecting intensity of shaking require targeted deformation, structural, and numerical model studies in order to develop a predictive understanding of earthquake phenomena. This project, one of two complementary Earthquake Hazard projects, aims to provide a comprehensive scientific basis for earthquake hazard assessment that will take us beyond the traditional probabilistic approach. Outputs from these activities will improve our current earthquake hazard zonation and may allow us to add a temporal component to this assessment. This will help us realize the Program outcome of decreasing societal losses.

For more information visit Earthquakes Canada