Seismic Hazard for Cuba: A New Approach

A new seismic hazard study for Cuba is presented in terms of maps and uniform hazard spectra (UHS). An earthquake catalog from 1502 to 2012 was prepared for the region 16 degrees-24 degrees N and 67 degrees-86 degrees W, and was homogenized to Mw and cleaned for aftershocks and foreshocks. A 16-arm logic-tree computation corresponding to four source branches and four ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) was conducted (using only published GMPE relations due to a lack of local strongmotion data). For each source model, the seismicity parameters (beta,lambda, and M-max) were developed. The results were obtained and are presented in terms of maps and UHS graphs for a 475-year return period, but results for other return periods are easily obtained. The influence of different branch weighting in the logic tree was investigated with respect to the final results. Peak ground acceleration values for Cuba were found to vary from less than 75 to 230 cm/s(2).