Pacific Coast Seismic Assessment for Faults and Earthquakes

A 5-year program to study earthquake hazards offshore of Canada's Pacific Coast using broadband ocean-bottom seismometers. Data will be collected in a series of approximately 1-year deployments of 25-30 sensors, with the array moving to a different target area each year. The project is supported by an NSERC Alliance grant partnership between the University of British Columbia, Dalhousie University, the University of Victoria, and Natural Resources Canada.

The research enabled by this academic-NRCan partnership will lead to new scientific insights into the ways plate tectonic forces shape the deformation and evolution of faults offshore BC and accurate assessments of seismic, tsunami and submarine landslide hazards in Canadian Pacific territorial waters. This information will be incorporated in future National Seismic Hazard Models by NRCan through its Public Safety Geoscience program. The National Seismic Hazard Model underpins the National Research Council's National Building Code which communicates seismic risk and resistance design requirements to multiple stakeholders (e.g., emergency management planners, provincial regulators, municipal building inspectors, engineers, contractors, architects, community groups) for the benefit of all Canadians, including those living on the west coast.