NPTEL- EARTHQUAKE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Module 7
SEISMIC HAZARD ANALYSIS
(Lectures 33 to 36)

PROBLEMS
1. Estimate the surface rupture lengths, rupture areas, and maximum surface
displacements for earthquakes of
.
2. The site is located near four active faults in California. Fault A is a normal fault.
Faults B and C are strike-slip faults and Fault D is reverse fault. The coordinates of
the site and faults shown above are in km. assuming that only linear segments can
rupture in an individual event, perform a deterministic seismic hazard analysis to :

(a) Determine the anticipated peak acceleration at the site. Use the attenuation
relationship(s) from module3 you believe are most appropriate and briefly justify
your selection.
(b) Determine and plot the anticipated response spectrum at the site.

(c) Assuming that the site consists of a bedrock outcrop, determine the anticipated
duration of strong motion at the site.
(d) Estimate the anticipated Arias Intensity at the site.

3. The hypothetical vertical fault segment is represented as a quarter-circle. On the

same graph, plot histogram of expected epicentral distance for motions at Site A
and Site B assuming.

Dept. of Civil Engg. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

NPTEL- EARTHQUAKE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

(a) Earthquakes are equally likely to occur at any point on the fault segment.
(b) Earthquakes are twice as likely to occur the midpoint of the fault segment as at
either end or the likelihood is linearly distributed between the midpoint and the
ends.

4. In a hypothetical seismically active region, earthquakes have been recorded over

an 80-year period. Part of the record is instrumental, but part is not. Combining all
available data, it appears that the earthquakes have been distributed as follows:
MOMENT MAGNITUDE
3-4
4-5
5-6
>6
4-5
5-6
>6

NUMBERS OF EARTHQUKES
-1800
-150
11
1
-150
11
1

(a) Estimate the Gutenberg-Richter parameters for the region.

(b) Neglecting earthquakes of magnitude less than 3, compute the probability that
an earthquake in the region will have a moment magnitude between 5.5 and 6.5.
(c) Repeat part (b) assuming that paleosesmic evidence indicates that the region is
not capable of producing earthquakes of moment magnitude greater that 6.5.
5. The seismicity of a particular region is described by the Gutenberg-Richter
recurrence law:

Dept. of Civil Engg. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

NPTEL- EARTHQUAKE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

(a) What is the probability that at least one earthquake of magnitude greater than 7.0
will occur in a 10-year period? In a 50-year period? In a 250-year period?
(b) What is the probability that exactly one earthquake of magnitude greater than 7.0
will occur in a 10-year period? In a 50-year period? In a 250-year period?

(c) Determine the earthquake magnitude that would have a 10% probability of being
exceeded at least once in a 50-year period.

Dept. of Civil Engg. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur