Seismic Hazard Deaggregation

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) currently provides seismic hazard deaggregations based on the 5th generation seismic hazard model, which provides the design values for the 2015 edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). Deaggregations provide an estimate of the distribution of magnitudes and distances of earthquakes contributing to the hazard at a particular site. Designers requiring these specialized calculations for their project should contact NRCan through earthquakeinfo-infoseisme@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.

The deaggregation request must include 1) the name and company of the requestor, 2) the name of the location, 3) the latitude and longitude coordinates of the site in decimal degrees,4) the probability required for the design, and the hazard parameter (spectral period Sa(T) or PGA). The standard NBCC 2015 probability is 2% in 50 years (0.000404 per annum). NRCan can also provide 5%, 10%, and 40% in 50 year probability (0.001, 0.0021, 0.01 per annum) results.

Deaggregations for the 6th Generation Seismic Hazard Model of Canada (CanadaSHM6) are not currently available from NRCan. Deaggregations of CanadaSHM6 results can be generated using the open source OpenQuake software along with the CanadaSHM6 model files included in Open File 8924. Examples of CanadaSHM6 deaggregations are included in the 13CCEE paper listed below. Example deaggregations for a subset of cities in Canada will be released as an Open File in late 2023.

Please see the following publications for additional information:

• Kolaj, M., Halchuk, S., and Adams, J., 2022. Sixth generation seismic hazard model of Canada: Final input files used to generate the 2020 National Building Code of Canada seismic hazard values; Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8924, 1 .zip file. https://doi.org/10.4095/331387
• Deaggregation of NBCC 2020 Seismic Hazard for Selected Canadian Cities; Michal Kolaj, Stephen Halchuk and John Adams; Paper 108, 13th Canadian Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Vancouver, 2023. CCEE-PCEE-2023_Kolaj_etal_111_2020DeaggregationSelectedCities.pdf
• NBCC 2015 Deaggregation Maps for Canada; Michal Kolaj, Stephen Halchuk and John Adams; Paper 108, 13th Canadian Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Vancouver, 2023. CCEE-PCEE-2023_Kolaj_etal_108_2015DeaggregationMaps.pdf
• Deaggregation of NBCC 2015 Seismic Hazard for Selected Canadian Cities; Stephen Halchuk, John Adams, Michal Kolaj, and Trevor Allen; Paper 192-DMsa-149, 12th Canadian Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Quebec City, 2019. 12CCEE_Halchuk_etal_Deaggregation_192-DMsa-149.pdf.