Master Project Example - Development of a ground motion prediction equation for Norway

Project description Having a reliable method for evaluating the level of earthquake ground shaking as a function of magnitude and distance is an important prerequisite for evaluating the seismic hazard in a region. In many applications, ground motion is evaluated using a ground motion prediction equation (GMPE), which is an empirically derived relation between ground shaking, magnitude, distance and, potentially, other parameters. Deriving a GMPE requires a highquality dataset of earthquake ground motions covering a wide magnitude- and distance range.

About the research project

Norway is a region of low to moderate seismicity, and earthquakes with magnitude larger than 5 are rare. There is thus a lack of ground motion data for high-magnitude events, which makes it challenging to derive a reliable GMPE for Norway. In regions of similar tectonics to Norway (e.g. in Eastern North America), this challenge has been addressed by supplementing the database of recorded ground motions with stochastically simulated ground motions for large magnitude events.

The aim of this project is to derive a GMPE for Norway. Stochastic simulation of ground motion will be used to supplement the ground motion database for Norway with large-magnitude events. The joint dataset of recorded and simulated ground motions will then be used to derive a new GMPE through regression analysis.

Proposed course plan during the master's degree (60 ECTS):
GEOV219
GEOV355
GEOV359

Prerequisites
BSc in geophysics, or similar competence in math, physics and programming.

Felt- lab- og analysearbeid
Stochastic simulation of ground motion using EXSIM (freely available). Some Matlab programming will be required.

Supervisor: Mathilde Sørensen

Co-supervisor: Lars Ottemöller

Last updated: 06.01.2026