Simplified Procedure for Developing Joint Distribution of amax and Mw for Probabilistic Liquefaction Hazard Analysis

This paper presents an innovative approach for a probabilistic analysis of liquefaction hazard at a given site in a specified exposure time based on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Maps data. The foundation of this new approach is a simplified procedure for obtaining a joint distribution of peak ground surface acceleration (amax) and moment magnitude of earthquake (Mw) at any given locality in the United States based on the USGS website data. The developed joint probability distribution of amax and Mw can be readily combined with the conditional probability of liquefaction (given a pair of amax and Mw) to obtain the total probability of liquefaction at a given site in a specified exposure time. Detailed formulation of the new approach is presented and demonstrated with examples.