WASHINGTON — A new federal earthquake map dials up the shaking hazard just a bit for about one-third of the United States and lowers it for one-tenth.

The U.S. Geological Survey on Thursday updated its national seismic hazard maps for the first time since 2008, taking into account research from the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami off the Japanese coast and the surprise 2011 Virginia temblor.

The maps are used for building codes and insurance purposes and they calculate just how much shaking an area probably will have in the biggest quake likely over a building’s lifetime.

The places at highest risk have a 2 percent chance of experiencing “very intense shaking” over a 50-year lifespan, USGS project chief Mark Petersen said. Those with lower hazard ratings would experience less intense swaying measured in gravitational force.

“These maps are refining our views of what the actual shaking is,” Petersen said. “Almost any place in the United States can have an earthquake.”

Parts of 16 states have the highest risk for earthquakes: Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky and South Carolina. With the update, new high-risk areas were added to some of those states.

Colorado and Oklahoma also saw increased risk in some areas.

Among other regions, New England saw an increase in shaking hazards for small buildings like houses, while several states, including Pennsylvania and New York, saw hazard levels lower slightly.

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