Mapping Earthquake Risk of the World

Abstract

World earthquake disaster risk is assessed by analyzing the hazard and the vulnerability as well as the amount of exposure based on the disaster-system theory. Two kinds of exposures, people and economy, are taken into account in this study. Peak ground acceleration with a 10 % chance of exceedance in 50 years is taken as an index of hazard intensity. National population vulnerability tables are constructed using national building vulnerability and inventory and fatality rate caused by building collapse. Population density is chosen as the index of population exposure for assessment of earthquake disaster mortality risk. Social wealth is taken as the economy exposure instead of GDP. Social wealth loss ratio under different hazard intensities is analyzed for assessment of economic-social wealth loss risk by earthquake disaster. The spatial pattern of world earthquake disaster mortality risk and economic-social wealth loss risk is similar to that of the hazard intensity. The delicate pattern, however, depends on the vulnerability and amount of exposures.

Mapping Editors: Jing’ai Wang (Key Laboratory of Regional Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China) and Chunqin Zhang (School of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China).

Language Editor: Lianyou Liu (Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Natural Disaster, Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China).