A V s30 Map for New Zealand based on surficial geology, topography and direct measurements

When designing structures to withstand future earthquakes, the potential damage resulting from a range of hypothetical future earthquake scenarios must be estimated. The influence of local geology on observed ground motions has an outsized role in affecting observed ground motions; it is commonly quantified simplistically with the parameter V s30 (time-averaged 30m depth vertical shear wave velocity). We are developing a continuous V s30 map for New Zealand, using multiple datasets. The map will be useful in routine engineering analyses, in building code updates, and in research on site response and ground motion simulation