New Madrid Seismic Zone - Bog

The assessment of earthquake hazard has been a long-standing concern in areas known to be prone to earthquakes. While housing construction in the United States is generally considered to be earthquake-resistant in comparison to many forms of construction found worldwide, the assessment of seismic hazard has significant implications with regard to the balance of housing affordability and safety. Seismic hazard assessments affect building code design requirements (i.e., mapped design ground motions), construction guidelines, building costs, insurance rates, expected consequences of future earthquake activity, and regional economies as a whole. The seismic design provisions of the International Building Code (IBC-2000) and the International Residential Code (IRC-2000) are both currently being considered for adoption by local political jurisdictions across the U.S., and have generated much concern and controversy as to the accuracy and validity of the new seismic provisions in the Central and Eastern United States, and particularly in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ).