Preliminary policies and development plan for the Utah Geological Survey component of the Utah Strong- Motion Instrumentation Program (OFR-302)

By: S. S. Olig and G. E. Christenson

Engineers need strong-motion records to design cost-effective, earthquake-resistant structures. However, there is a lack of such records from earthquakes in Utah. Utah has unique geologic and seismologic conditions and large uncertainties exist when records from other tectonic regimes are used to estimate ground motions for sites in Utah. Earthquake-resistant design criteria, as specified in the building code presently used in Utah, are primarily based on strong-motion records from earthquakes in California. As a result, we may be wasting money by overdesigning structures, exposing ourselves to excessive risk by underdesigning structures, or doing a combination of both.

The purpose of this report is to set forth the goals, policies, organization, and instrument-siting philosophy of the UGS component of the USMIP. To prepare this report we reviewed: (1) recommendations of the 1989 Utah Policy Panel for Earthquake Instrumentation (UPPEI), (2) policies of the California Division of Mines and Geology Strong-Motion Instrumentation Program (CDMG-SMIP), and (3) recommendations and plans for national strong-motion instrumentation programs. Members of the Strong-Motion Instrumentation Advisory Committee reviewed a draft of this report and their suggestions and comments were incorporated.

Other Information:
Published: 1993
Pages: 15 p. + 26 p. appendix
Location: Utah
Media Type: Paper Publication