scholarly journals Life on the Wellington Fault: Managing Geological Collections and Earthquake Risk

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e26230
Author(s):  
Delia Strong ◽  
Marianna Terezow
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Earth Science ◽  
Active Faults ◽  
Earthquake Hazard ◽  
Return Time ◽  
Disaster Mitigation ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Ground Shaking ◽  
Reference Collection

GNS Science is home to New Zealand’s national rock, mineral and fossil collections. The National Petrology Reference Collection (NPRC) is a ‘nationally significant’ collection of rocks and minerals from on- and off-shore New Zealand, Antarctica and the rest of the world. The National Paleontological Collection (NPC) is another nationally significant collection; of fossil material from New Zealand, the South West Pacific region and Antarctica, with some overseas additions. Their status as nationally significant collections mean that GNS Science is contracted by the New Zealand Government to provide long-term collection management. Collectively, the NPC and NPRC constitute more than 200,000 samples, dating from the earliest days of New Zealand geology exploration in the late 1800s. The collections continue to grow by hundreds to thousands of samples per year, and are loaned nationally and internationally for scientific research. They are by far the largest collections of fossils, rocks and minerals housed in New Zealand, and are important earth science archives for the entire Zealandian Southern Ocean region. The collections are housed on-site at GNS Science in Lower Hutt, a few hundred meters from the surface trace of the Wellington Fault and within striking distance of other active faults that could generate major earthquakes. Best estimates suggest that the Wellington Region has an average return time of about 150 years for very strong or extreme ground shaking. Such proximity to this significant, active hazard means that steps must be taken to ensure the long-term security and integrity of the collections in the event of earthquake shaking, as well as other natural and non-natural disasters. To that end, the collection managers have written and implemented disaster mitigation, preparedness and recovery plans for the National Petrology Reference Collection and National Paleontological Collection. Here we define the earthquake hazard posed by the Wellington Fault, assess the risk to the collections, and present steps taken to manage that risk.

scholarly journals Earthquake Risk Assessment for Tehran, Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 430
Author(s):  
Farnaz Kamranzad ◽  
Hossein Memarian ◽  
Mehdi Zare
Keyword(s):  
Population Distribution ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Active Faults ◽  
Earthquake Hazard ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Hazard Exposure ◽  
Vulnerability Maps ◽  
Earthquake Risk Assessment

The megacity of Tehran, the capital of Iran, is subjected to a high earthquake risk. Located at the central part of the Alpine–Himalayan seismic belt, Tehran is surrounded by several active faults that show some M7+ historical earthquake records. The high seismic hazard in combination with a dense population distribution and several vulnerability factors mean Tehran is one of the top 20 worldwide megacities at a high earthquake risk. This article aims to prepare an assessment of the present-day earthquake risk in Tehran. First, the earthquake risk components including hazard, exposure, and vulnerability are evaluated based on some accessible GIS-based datasets (e.g., seismicity, geology, active faults, population distribution, land use, urban fabric, buildings’ height and occupancy, structure types, and ages, as well as the vicinity to some critical infrastructures). Then, earthquake hazard maps in terms of PGA are prepared using a probabilistic approach as well as a surface rupture width map. Exposure and vulnerability maps are also provided deterministically in terms of population density and hybrid physical vulnerability, respectively. Finally, all these components are combined in a spatial framework and an earthquake risk map is provided for Tehran.

scholarly journals Damage and intensities in the magnitude 7.8 1929 Murchison, New Zealand, earthquake

1994 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Dowrick
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Earthquake Engineering ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Fault Rupture ◽  
The South ◽  
Ground Shaking ◽  
The Future ◽  
Seismically Induced Landslides ◽  
Intensity Map ◽  
Made In

This paper is the result of a study of the Ms= 7.8 Murchison earthquake which occurred in the South Island of New Zealand, on 16(UT) June 1929, a few years prior to the introduction of the first earthquake loadings code in New Zealand. It gives the first description of the damage to buildings in this event in modern earthquake engineering terms, and presents the first Modified Mercalli (MM) intensity map for the event determined from the original felt information. Some definitions of "well-built" pre-code buildings are proposed: these should help in dealing with safety and conservation issues raised when considering the future of such "earthquake risk" buildings. No evidence was found for MM10 intensities, although ground shaking of this strength probably occurred in the unpopulated mountainous countryside close to the fault rupture. Recommendations for improving the criteria for determining MM intensity are made in respect of (1) pre-code buildings and (2) seismically-induced landslides.

Earthquake Risk Assessment

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Wyss
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Seismic Risk ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Earthquake Hazard ◽  
Return Time ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Seismic Gap ◽  
World Population ◽  
Seismic Risk Assessment ◽  
Rupture Length

This article discusses the importance of assessing and estimating the risk of earthquakes. It begins with an overview of earthquake prediction and relevant terms, namely: earthquake hazard, maximum credible earthquake magnitude, exposure time, earthquake risk, and return time. It then considers data sources for estimating seismic hazard, including catalogs of historic earthquakes, measurements of crustal deformation, and world population data. It also examines ways of estimating seismic risk, such as the use of probabilistic estimates, deterministic estimates, and the concepts of characteristic earthquake, seismic gap, and maximum rupture length. A loss scenario for a possible future earthquake is presented, and the notion of imminent seismic risk is explained. Finally, the chapter addresses errors in seismic risk estimates and how to reduce seismic risk, ethical and moral aspects of seismic risk assessment, and the outlook concerning seismic risk assessment.

scholarly journals Brief communication "Fast-track earthquake risk assessment for selected urban areas in Turkey"

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 571-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kepekci ◽  
F. Ozcep
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Relative Risk ◽  
Ground Motion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Reference Value ◽  
Earthquake Hazard ◽  
Disaster Mitigation ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Earthquake Risk

Abstract. This study is presented as a contribution to earthquake disaster mitigation studies for selected cities in Turkey. The risk evaluations must be based on earthquake hazard analysis and city information. To estimate the ground motion level, data for earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 4.5 and an epicenter location within a 100-km radius of each city were used for the period from 1900 to 2006, as recorded at the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute. Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for each city was carried out using Poisson probabilistic approaches. Ground motion level was estimated as the probability of a given degree of acceleration with a 10% exceedence rate during a 50-year time period for each city. The risk level of each city was evaluated using the number of houses, the per-capita income of city residents, population, and ground motion levels. The maximum risk level obtained for the cities was taken as a reference value for relative risk assessment, and other risk values were estimated relative to the maximum risk level. When the selected cities were classified according to their relative risk levels, the five most risky cities were found to be, in descending order of risk, Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Bursa, and Kocaeli.

Criteria for Surface Rupture Microzonation of Active Faults for Earthquake Hazards in Urban Areas

2018 ◽  
pp. 187-230
Author(s):  
Hasan Sözbilir ◽  
Çağlar Özkaymak ◽  
Bora Uzel ◽  
Ökmen Sümer
Keyword(s):  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Active Faults ◽  
Earthquake Hazard ◽  
Disaster Mitigation ◽  
Rupture Zone ◽  
Earthquake Hazards ◽  
Surface Rupture ◽  
Earthquake Hazard Assessment ◽  
Earthquake Effects

Formation of surface rupture zone along active faults buried directly beneath major cities create devastating earthquakes that seriously threaten the safety of human lives. Surface rupture microzonation (SRM) is the generic name for subdividing a region into individual areas having different potentials hazardous earthquake effects, defining their specific seismic behavior for engineering design and land-use planning in case a large devastating earthquake strikes the region. The basis of SRM is to model the rupture zone at the epicenter of an earthquake, and thus develop a hazard-avoid map indicating the vulnerability of the area to potential seismic hazard. Earthquake hazard assessment of active faults in urban areas are thus an important systematic engineering for disaster mitigation in major cities.

scholarly journals Evidence of active shortening along the eastern border of the San Rafael basement block: characterization of the seismic source of the Villa Atuel earthquake (1929), Mendoza province, Argentina

2016 ◽  
Vol 153 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 911-925 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. BRANELLEC ◽  
B. NIVIÈRE ◽  
J.-P. CALLOT ◽  
V. REGARD ◽  
J.-C. RINGENBACH
Keyword(s):  
Active Faults ◽  
Seismic Source ◽  
Moment Magnitude ◽  
Slip Rates ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Ground Shaking ◽  
Cerro Negro ◽  
Eastern Border ◽  
San Rafael

AbstractOn the 30 May 1929, a massive earthquake occurred in the San Rafael area (southern Mendoza province) leading to the destruction of the Villa Atuel and Las Malvinas towns. The region affected by the ground shaking covers a large part of southern South America. Although no surface breaks have been detected on the surface, several authors have pointed out active faults that could be related to the event of 1929. Using satellite imagery and field observations, we investigated two active faults situated on the eastern border of the San Rafael Block (SRB) close to or within the epicentral area. The most prominent faults are the c. 40 km long Las Malvinas and c. 30 km long Cerro Negro reverse faults which are located near the epicentral area. Geological and morphological observations allow us to describe late Pleistocene activity and estimate the long-term slip rates of these faults. Possible ruptures that match our observations and which are compatible with the cartographic length of these faults would account for a seismic moment magnitude of M0 = 2.8×1019 N m and a moment magnitude of MW = 6.9. The morphological signatures of these fault segments and the occurrence of the San Rafael earthquake suggests that the southern Mendoza Province is still currently submitted to shortening.

Earthquake Risk Assessment

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Wyss
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Seismic Risk ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Earthquake Hazard ◽  
Return Time ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Seismic Gap ◽  
World Population ◽  
Seismic Risk Assessment ◽  
Rupture Length

This article discusses the importance of assessing and estimating the risk of earthquakes. It begins with an overview of earthquake prediction and relevant terms, namely: earthquake hazard, maximum credible earthquake magnitude, exposure time, earthquake risk, and return time. It then considers data sources for estimating seismic hazard, including catalogs of historic earthquakes, measurements of crustal deformation, and world population data. It also examines ways of estimating seismic risk, such as the use of probabilistic estimates, deterministic estimates, and the concepts of characteristic earthquake, seismic gap, and maximum rupture length. A loss scenario for a possible future earthquake is presented, and the notion of imminent seismic risk is explained. Finally, the chapter addresses errors in seismic risk estimates and how to reduce seismic risk, ethical and moral aspects of seismic risk assessment, and the outlook concerning seismic risk assessment.

scholarly journals Development of Building Inventory Data in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for Seismic Loss Estimation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Zorigt Tumurbaatar ◽  
Hiroyuki Miura ◽  
Tsoggerel Tsamba
Keyword(s):  
Active Faults ◽  
Heating System ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Structural Type ◽  
Disaster Mitigation ◽  
Maximum Magnitude ◽  
Inventory Data ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Ground Shaking ◽  
Building Inventory

During the last two decades, the rapid urbanization movement has increased the concentration of population and buildings in Ulaanbaatar city (UB), Mongolia. There are several active faults around UB. The estimated maximum magnitude of 7 in the Emeelt fault has been expected to significantly impact the UB region because the fault is only 20 km from the city. To consider the disaster mitigation planning for such large earthquakes, assessments of ground shaking intensities and building damage for the scenarios are crucial. In this study, we develop the building inventory data in UB, including structural types, construction year, height, and construction cost in order to assess the buildings’ vulnerability (repair cost) due to a scenario earthquake. The construction costs are estimated based on the procedure of the Mongolian construction code from the coefficients of cost per floor area for each structural type, and coefficients for heating system, floor areas, and buildings’ locations. Finally, the scenario’s economic loss of the damaged buildings is evaluated using the developed building inventory, global vulnerability curves of GAR-13, and estimated spectral accelerations.

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