Ground Motion Simulation Using the Hybrid Empirical Method: Issues and Insights

The widespread application of the hybrid empirical method (HEM) has made it a viable approach for developing ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) in regions where there are few strong motion recordings but ample weak motion data from small-to-moderate magnitude earthquakes. The HEM uses empirical estimates of ground motion in a host region to provide estimates of ground motion in a target region by taking into account differences in source, path, and site effect s between the two regions. Empirical ground motion estimates in the host region are transferred to the target region using adjustment factors that are calculated from regionally constrained seismological models using stochastic simulation. In this paper, I discuss the issues and demonstrate the epistemic uncertainty involved in applying the HEM using an example application to eastern North America (ENA) based on the Campbell-Bozorgnia NGA GMPE for western North America (WNA) and updated seismological models for ENA.

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