This article documents the earthquake ground motion database developed for the NGA-East Project, initiated as part of the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) research program and led by the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER). The project was focused on developing a ground motion characterization model (GMC) model for horizontal ground motions for the large region referred to as Central and Eastern North America (CENA). The CENA region covers most of the U.S. and Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean and is characterized tectonically as a stable continental region (SCR). The ground-motion database includes the two- and three-component ground-motion recordings from numerous selected events relevant to CENA (M > 2.5, with distances up to 3500 km) that have been recorded since 1976. The final database contains over 27,000 time series from 82 earthquakes and 1271 recording stations. The ground motion database includes uniformly processed time series, 5% damped pseudo-spectral acceleration (PSA) median-component ordinates for 429 periods ranging from 0.01 to 10 s, duration and Arias intensity in 5% increments, and Fourier amplitude spectra for different time windows. Ground motions and metadata for source, path, and site conditions were subjected to quality checks by topical working groups and the ground-motion model (GMM) developers. The NGA-East database constitutes the largest database of processed recorded ground motions in SRCs and is publicly available from the PEER ground-motion database website.
Al AtikL (2015) NGA-East: Ground Motion Standard Deviation Models for Central and Eastern North America (PEER Report No. PEER 2015/07). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
2.
AnchetaTDDarraghRBStewartJPSeyhanESilvaWJChiouB-SJWooddellKEGravesRWKottkeARBooreDMKishidaTDonahueJL (2013) PEER NGA-West2 Database (PEER Report 2013/03). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
BooreDM (2010) Orientation-independent, nongeometric-mean measures of seismic intensity from two horizontal components of motion. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America100(4): 1830–1835.
5.
BooreDMBommerJJ (2005) Processing of strong-motion accelerograms: Needs, options and consequences. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering25: 93–115.
6.
BooreDMAzari SisiAAkkarS (2012) Using pad-stripped acausally filtered strong-motion data. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America102: 751–760.
7.
BozorgniaYAbrahamsonNAAl AtikLAnchetaTDAtkinsonGMBakerJWBaltayABooreDMCampbellKWChiouBS-JDarraghRBDaySDonahueJJGravesRWGregorNHanksTIdrissIMKamaiRKishidaTKottkeARMahinSARezaeianSRowshandelBSeyhanEShahiSShantzTSilvaWJSpudichPStewartJPWatson-LampreyJWooddellKEYoungsRR (2014) NGA-West2 research project. Earthquake Spectra30: 973–987.
8.
BruneJN (1970) Tectonic stress and the spectra of seismic shear waves from earthquakes. Journal of Geophysical Research75: 4997–5002.
9.
BruneJN (1971) Correction. Journal of Geophysical Research76: 5002.
10.
BusbyRWoodwardRHafnerKVernonFLFrassettoAM (2018) The Design and Implementation of EarthScope’s USArray Transportable Array in the Conterminous United States and Southern Canada (Earth Scope, Tech. Rep.).
11.
ChiouBS-JYoungsRR (2008) NGA Model for the Average Horizontal Component of Peak Ground Motion and Response Spectra (PEER Report 2008/10). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
12.
ChiouB-SJDarraghRBGregorNSilvaWJ (2008) NGA project strong-motion database. Earthquake Spectra24: 23–44.
13.
ColemanJLCahanSM (2012) Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States (U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012-1111). Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey.
CramerCH (2008) Final Report on Initial Database Design for a Database of CEUS Ground Motions (Final Technical Report to the USGS for first year of Cooperative Agreement 07CRAG0015). Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey.
16.
CramerCHKutliroffJRDangkuaDT (2011) Next Generation Attenuation East Initial Flat Files for Eastern North America (Report to PEER accompanying NGA-East flat files and time series under subagreement 7140) Center for Earthquake Research and Information Report, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN.
17.
CramerCHKutliroffJRDangkuaDTAl NomanMN (2013) Completing the NGA-East CENA/SCR ground motion database. Final technical report to PEER under sub-agreement 7140, 5April.
18.
DarraghRBSilvaWJGregorN (2004) Strong motion record processing procedures for the PEER center. In: Proceedings of COSMOS workshop on strong-motion record processing, May 26, 2004, Richmond, CA: Consortium of Organizations for Strong-Motion Observation Systems, pp. 1–12.
19.
DouglasJBooreDM (2011) High-frequency filtering of strong-motion records. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering9(2): 395–409.
20.
DreilingJIskenMPMooneyWDChapmanMCGodbeeRW (2014) NGA-East Regionalization Report: Comparison of Four Crustal Regions within Central and Eastern North America using Waveform Modeling and 5%-Damped Pseudo-Spectral Acceleration Response (PEER Report No. 2014/15). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
EPRI/DOE/NRC (2012) Central and Eastern United States Seismic Source Characterization for Nuclear Facilities (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Report, NUREG-2115; EPRI Report 1021097, Vol. 1–6). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Energy.
23.
GoldsteinPSnokeA (2005) SAC availability for the IRIS community. Incorporated Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center Electronic Newsletter, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, April 6, 2005.
24.
GouletCABozorgniaYAbrahamsonNAKuehnNAl AtikLYoungsRRGravesRWAtkinsonGM (2018) Central and Eastern North America Ground-Motion Characterization (NGA-East Final Report, PEER Report No. 2018/08). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
25.
GouletCABozorgniaYKuehnNAl AtikLYoungsRRGravesRWAtkinsonGM (this issue) NGA-East ground-motion characterization model Part I: Summary of products and model development. Earthquake Spectra37(S1): 1231–1282.
HanksTCKanamoriH (1979) A Moment Magnitude Scale. Journal of Geophysical Research84(B5): 2348–2350.
28.
HartzellCLangerCMendozaC (1994) Rupture histories of eastern North America. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America84(6): 1703–1724.
29.
KimBHashashYMARathjeEMStewartJPNiSSomervillePGKottkeARSilvaWJCampbellKW (2016) Subsurface shear-wave velocity characterization using P-wave seismograms in Central and Eastern North America. Earthquake Spectra32: 143–169.
30.
KishidaTKtenidouOJDarraghRBSilvaWJ (2016) Semi-Automated Procedure for Windowing Time Series and Computing Fourier Amplitude Spectra for the NGA-West2 Database (PEER Report 2016/02). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center.
31.
KolajM (2020) Clipped Amplitudes for the 1988 Mw 5.9 Saguenay Earthquake in the NGA-East Database Flatfile, Canadian Hazards Information Service Seismicity White Paper, 2020-05.
32.
KottkeARAbrahamsonNABooreDMBozorgniaYGouletCAHollenbackJKishidaTDer KiureghianAKtenidouOJKuehnNRathjeEMSilvaWJThompsonEWangX (2018) Selection of Random Vibration Procedures for the NGA-East Project (PEER Report No. 2018/05). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
33.
KottkeARAbrahamsonNABooreDMBozorgniaYGouletCAHollenbackJKishidaTDer KiureghianAKtenidouOJKuehnNRathjeEMSilvaWJThompsonEWangX (2021) Selection of random vibration theory procedures for the NGA-East project and ground-motion modeling. Earthquake Spectra37(S1): 1420–1439.
34.
ParkerGAHarmonJAStewartJPHashashYMAKottkeARRathjeEMSilvaWJCampbellKW (2017) Proxy-based VS30 estimation in Central and Eastern North America. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America107: 117–131.
35.
PEER (2015a) NGA-East: Adjustments to Median Ground-Motion Models for Central and Eastern North America (PEER Report No. 2015/08). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
36.
PEER (2015b) NGA-East: Median Ground-Motion Models for the Central and Eastern North America Region (PEER Report No. 2015/04). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
37.
PetersenMDMoschettiMPPowersPMMuellerCSHallerKMFrankelADZengYRezaeianSHarmsenSCBoydOSFieldNChenRRukstalesKSLucoNWheelerRLWilliamsRAOlsenAH (2014) Documentation for the 2014 Update of the United States National Seismic Hazard Maps (Open-File Report 2014-1091). Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey.
38.
PowerMChiouBAbrahamsonNABozorgniaYShantzTRobleeC (2008) An overview of the NGA project. Earthquake Spectra24: 3–21.
39.
ReedJCBushCA (2005) Generalized geologic map of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. Geological Survey National Atlas Small-Scale Collection. Available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/atlas/geologic/ (accessed July 2016).
40.
Saint-Louis University (SLU) (2014). Saint-Louis University Earthquake center network. Available at: http://www.eas.slu.edu/eqc/ (accessed 20 October 2014).
41.
SeyhanEStewartJPAnchetaTDDarraghRBGravesRW (2014) NGA-West2 site database. Earthquake Spectra30: 1007–1024.
42.
SomervillePG (2014) Scaling Relations between Seismic Moment and Rupture Area of Earthquakes in Stable Continental Regions (PEER Report No. 2014/14). Berkeley, CA: Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California.
43.
SomervillePG (2021) Scaling relations between seismic moment and rupture area of earthquakes in stable continental regions, Earthquake Spectra37(S1): 1534–1549.
44.
YoungsRRGouletCABozorgniaYKuehnNAl AtikLGravesRWAtkinsonGM (2021). NGA-East ground-motion characterization model Part II: Implementation and hazard implications. Earthquake Spectra37(S1) 37(S1): 1283–1330.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
