Engineers should typically use the tools below for seismic design; the parameter values they provide are not typically identical to those from hazard tools available elsewhere on the USGS website.
The USGS collaborates with organizations that develop building codes (for buildings, bridges, and other structures) to make seismic design parameter values available to engineers. The design code developers first decide how USGS earthquake hazard information should be applied in design practice. Then, the USGS calculates values of seismic design parameters based on USGS hazard values and in accordance with design code procedures.
Due to insufficient resources and the recent development of similar web tools by third parties, the USGS has replaced its former U.S. Seismic Design Maps web applications with web services that can be used through third-party tools. Your options for using the replacement USGS web services, which still provide seismic design parameter values from numerous design code editions, are:
Most users obtain seismic design parameter values from the USGS web services through third-party GUIs like the following:
It is possible, but less convenient, to obtain seismic design parameter values directly from the USGS web services:
This web tool calculates risk-targeted ground motion values from probabilistic seismic hazard curves in accordance with the site-specific ground motion procedures defined in “Method 2” (Section 21.2.1.2) of the ASCE/SEI 7-10 and 7-16 standards. The vast majority of engineering projects in the U.S. will require use of the U.S. Seismic Design Maps Web Services (see above) rather than this Risk-Targeted Ground Motion Calculator.
For underlying datasets and maps, navigate to the Data tab at the top of the page. For the most up-to-date information on available data, please email nluco@usgs.gov, rukstales@usgs.gov, and srezaeian@usgs.gov.