Estimation of ground motion parameters for muzaffarabad earthquake, Pakistan on 8th October 2005

Abstract

An important problem in earthquake engineering is the prediction of ground motions from possible future large earthquakes. Seismological input that describes the amplitude, frequency content and duration of the expected motions are required to assess the seismic performance of the structures. Several empirical relationships are available in the literature for the estimation of these ground motions. In this study, the stochastic finite fault simulation technique which implements the concept of fault discretization wherein the sub-events are represented as stochastic point sources is used. The detailed description of the method is given by Beresnev & Atkinson (1997 & 1998a). Using the seismic source data of the earthquake occurred on Saturday, October 8th, 2005 with a 7.6 magnitude near Muzzaffarabad which is 80 km north-east of Islamabad and using the FINSIM program the PGA at bedrock is estimated. This value can be used as input for microzonation of ground motion at the surface by incorporating the local soil/ground conditions. © 2008 Science Press Beijing and Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg Geotechnical Engineering for Disaster Mitigation and Rehabilitation.