Seismic Hazard Map

No, for decades now scientists have been looking for reliable warning signs of an impending earthquake, but so far their search has been in vain. Perhaps earthquakes are natural hazards, chaotic, non-linear processes that we will never be able to reliably predict. Or maybe scientists will find a hot lead yet. Only time will tell!

However, something we can calculate is the earthquake (or seismic) hazard and risk. Earthquake hazard indicates where and how frequently over a set time period certain shaking can be expected to occur. Earthquake risk quantifies the possible effects of earthquakes on buildings and the associated financial and human losses.