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Science 14 January 1977:
Vol. 195. no. 4274, pp. 171 - 173
DOI: 10.1126/science.195.4274.171
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Articles

Earthquake Hazard in New England

ANTHONY F. SHAKAL 1 and M. NAFI TOKSÖZ 1

1 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139

The earthquake return periods (the mean interoccurrence time) and the probability of earthquake occurrences for southern New England are calculated from the available seismic data for the period 1725 through 1974. For this region the occurrence of larger earthquakes varied with time and the seismic activity was higher in the period 1725 through 1824 than in the next 100 years (1825 through 1924). This variation introduces large uncertainties into calculations of the earthquake hazard. The estimated return period, based on data covering the time period 1725 through 1974, for earthquakes in the southern New England area of intensity VI or greater is 25 years and for intensity VIII or greater is 130 years.

Submitted on June 2, 1976
Revised on August 25, 1976


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Seismic strain rates in the Central and Eastern United States.
J. G. ANDERSON (1986)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 76, 273-290
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Statistical aspects of New England seismicity from 1975 to 1982 and implications for past and future earthquake activity.
J. E. EBEL (1984)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 74, 1311-1329
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On the variation of seismic hazard along the San Andreas fault.
B. F. Howell Jr. (1984)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 74, 709-723
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An empirical study of New England seismicity: 1727-1977.
R. STREET and A. LACROIX (1979)
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 69, 159-175
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