PROJECT PLAN AND UPDATE: ST. LOUIS AREA EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS MAPPING PROJECT

STECKEL, P.J., Consulting Geologist, Washington, MO 63090, and ST. LOUIS AREA EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS MAPPING PROJECT WORKING GROUP, psteckel@charter.net.

The St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project is one part of the larger urban seismic hazard mapping program that will identify and map various earthquake hazards in vulnerable central and eastern US cities. From the earliest project planning, the St. Louis project, led by the US Geological Survey, has been designed to produce practical map products that are easy to use, timely, and especially relevant to the private sector. The project depends on public and private support from the states of Missouri and Illinois, regional universities and utilities, and the generous cooperation and input of private industry. A proactive outreach program is part of the project, which targets end-users in the insurance, finance, equity, engineering, infrastructure, and production/operations market segments. The St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project includes mapping areas susceptible to ground shaking, liquefaction, lateral spreading, and landslides. Collection, refinement, analysis, and retrieval of this information will occur through a portal based on the COSMOS Virtual Geotechnical Database. Through a prioritization process that considers the density of existing and planned development, differing geologic setting (upland, floodplain, and thick loess deposits), and the amount of existing data (such as along highway rights-of-way), four quadrangles have been chosen from the larger 29-quadrangle study area for initial 1:24,000-scale map production. A lower resolution map is planned for the entire urban area to help identify data needs.