Least cost path analysis as an objective and automatic method to define the main fault trace for probabilistic fault displacement hazard analyses

A main goal of probabilistic fault displacement hazard analysis (PFDHA) is to quantify displacement along and across an identified active fault that poses a hazard to nearby infrastructure such as roads, bridges, pipelines, and telecommunications. PFDHA relies on empirical models developed using data sets of displacement measurements and mapped surface rupture traces compiled from past global surface rupturing earthquakes by field surveys or remote sensing. However, current approaches to determine the location of the main rupture trace are subjective and lack repeatability due to different geological interpretations of the often complex network of mapped rupture traces. This subjectivity makes it difficult to compile and analyze displacement measurements and ruptures from multiple events in a consistent manner. This study provides an objective and repeatable approach to define a main rupture trace that can be applied to either field or remote sensing data. The new approach defined here can be used in developing rupture trace connectivity and geometry for use in displacement model developments and for use in objectively defining the input fault trace for assessing fault displacement hazard.