RiskProfiler, a website developed by Natural Resources Canada, allows access, visualization, and exploration of information about the potential risks from earthquakes. The information is crucial for planning and preparing for future earthquake events and is intended to support communities and governments to build resilience to earthquake hazards.
RiskProfiler provides information about the potential risk from earthquakes at the neighborhood-level to help Canadians build resiliency. The information is based on national-scale models of seismic hazard, building exposure, and vulnerability. The first step to using RiskProfiler effectively is understanding the information. The following resources are designed to guide you through this. If you have questions not covered in the material, go to the Contact Us page for more options.
Uncertainties and Intended Use clearly outlines the limitations of the information and how RiskProfiler can be used appropriately.
RiskProfiler identifies earthquake risk from both specific scenarios as well as overall probabilistic risk. Scenarios are potential earthquakes that could impact Canadians, and are developed to help understand the outcomes of these events. More information about earthquake scenarios can be found here. Probabilistic earthquake risk presents the consequences of all potential earthquakes over a defined time period, and help us understand which communities may bear the largest earthquake impacts over time. More information about probabilistic earthquake risk can be found here.
Training Resources on how to use the site and download data are provided here.
Frequently Asked Questions discuss questions that users may be wondering about as they review the information. It is a great place to start understanding the information in RiskProfiler.
Read the Glossary for definitions of all technical words used across the site.
Find Additional Documentation including technical modelling discussions and published resources on the datasets.
See resources with information about Taking Action to reduce seismic risk.
Review the Disclaimer and see attribution information for citing the site.
RiskProfiler, a website developed by Natural Resources Canada, allows access, visualization, and exploration of information about the potential risks from earthquakes. The information is crucial for planning and preparing for future earthquake events and is intended to support community planners, emergency managers, and Canadians to build resilience to earthquake hazards.
Information on RiskProfiler is the outcome of a national earthquake risk assessment completed by Natural Resources Canada in partnership with the Global Earthquake Model Foundation. The risk to Canadian buildings and their occupants is assessed by combining seismic hazard, building, and building fragility information. The frequently asked questions provide more general information to help understand RiskProfiler.
RiskProfiler provides details about the potential earthquake effects including the area that may experience shaking, and the potential level of building damage, economic loss, and casualties at the neighbourhood scale. Details about the reduction in potential earthquake effects from retrofitting buildings is also provided. The information about earthquake risk is provided based on both specific earthquake scenarios and through probabilistic earthquake risk.
Indigenous Nations, governments, planners, emergency managers, insurance providers, and the public can use this information to understand future earthquake risk and inform evidence-based risk reduction plans. The information can help practitioners answer important questions such as:
RiskProfiler was developed in partnership with the following organizations: Public Safety Canada, Global Earthquake Model Foundation, NRCan (CCMEO, HAOB), Insurance Bureau of Canada, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, Defence Research and Development Canada, Assembly of First Nations, Metis National Council, Canadian Institute of Planners, and Finance Canada. Website development by HabitatSeven.
Attribution for RiskProfiler should be as follows: Hobbs, T.E., Van Ulden, J., Rotheram, D., Chow, W., LeSueur, P., Journeay, J.M., Ulmi, M., Ulmi, D., Fok, A., Van de Valk, J., Hastings, N., Herring, J., Wong, T., Evans, P., Safaie, S., 2022. RiskProfiler; Geological Survey of Canada, www.RiskProfiler.ca
An earthquake scenario describes a potential earthquake and its consequences. Scenarios are defined by a magnitude, location, fault type, and are developed for specific faults that can produce large earthquakes.
When multiple earthquake scenarios are combined, the result is called probabilistic earthquake risk. Probabilistic earthquake risk represents the potential consequences of all earthquakes that may occur over a defined time period from known earthquake sources. For example, probabilistic earthquake risk analysis can estimate the average annual economic losses from earthquakes or the economic loss expected to occur about once every 500 years.
Probabilistic seismic risk considers the impact of all possible earthquakes, over a time period of interest. To explore the risk in your area, please select an indicator below.