Neo-deterministic seismic hazard scenarios for India—a preventive tool for disaster mitigation.

Current computational resources and physical knowledge of the seismic wave generation and propagation processes allow for reliable numerical and analytical models of waveform generation and propagation. From the simulation of ground motion, it is easy to extract the desired earthquake hazard parameters. Accordingly, a scenario-based approach to seismic hazard assessment has been developed, namely the neo-deterministic seismic hazard assessment (NDSHA), which allows for a wide range of possible seismic sources to be used in the definition of reliable scenarios by means of realistic waveforms modelling. Such reliable and comprehensive characterization of expected earthquake ground motion is essential to improve building codes, particularly for the protection of critical infrastructures and for land use planning. Parvez et al. (Geophys J Int 155:489–508, 2003) published the first ever neo-deterministic seismic hazard map of India by computing synthetic seismograms with input data set consisting of structural models, seismogenic zones, focal mechanisms and earthquake catalogues. As described in Panza et al. (Adv Geophys 53:93–165, 2012), the NDSHA methodology evolved with respect to the original formulation used by Parvez et al. (Geophys J Int 155:489–508, 2003): the computer codes were improved to better fit the need of producing realistic ground shaking maps and ground shaking scenarios, at different scale levels, exploiting the most significant pertinent progresses in data acquisition and modelling. Accordingly, the present study supplies a revised NDSHA map for India. The seismic hazard, expressed in terms of maximum displacement (Dmax), maximum velocity (Vmax) and design ground acceleration (DGA), has been extracted from the synthetic signals and mapped on a regular grid over the studied territory

Subsurface profiling of granite pluton using microtremor method: southern Aravalli, Gujarat, India

We report, using the microtremor method, a subsurface granitic pluton underneath the Narukot Dome and in its western extension along a WNW profile, in proximity of eastern fringe of Cambay Rift, India. The dome and its extension is a part of the Champaner Group of rocks belonging to the Mesoproterozoic Aravalli Supergroup. The present finding elucidates development of an asymmetric double plunge along Narukot Dome. Microtremor measurements at 32 sites were carried out along the axial trace (N95°) of the dome. Fourier amplitude spectral studies were applied to obtain the ratio between the horizontal and vertical components of persisting Rayleigh waves as local ambient noise. Fundamental resonant frequencies with amplitude ≥1-sigma for each site are considered to distinguish rheological boundary. Two distinct rheological boundaries are identified based on frequency ranges determined in the terrain: (1) 0.2219–10.364 Hz recorded at 31 stations identified as the Champaner metasediment and granite boundary, and (2) 10.902–27.1119 Hz recorded at 22 stations identified as the phyllite and quartzite boundary. The proposed equation describing frequency–depth relationship between granite and overlaying regolith matches with those already published in the literature. The morphology of granite pluton highlights the rootless character of Champaner Group showing sharp discordance with granitic pluton. The findings of manifestation of pluton at a shallower depth imply a steep easterly plunge within the Champaner metasediments, whereas signature of pluton at a deeper level implies a gentle westerly plunge. The present method enables to assess how granite emplacement influences the surface structure

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Site-specific Microzonation Study in Delhi Metropolitan City by 2-D Modelling of SH and P-SV Waves

Delhi \u2013 the capital of India lies on a severe earthquake hazard threat not only from local earthquakes but also from Himalayan events just 200\u2013250 km apart. The seismic ground motion in a part of Delhi City is computed with a hybrid technique based on the modal summation and the finite-difference scheme for site-specific strong ground motion modelling. Complete realistic SH and P-SV wave seismograms are computed along two geological cross sections, (1) north-south, from Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) to Sewanagar and (2) east-west, from Tilak Bridge to Punjabi Bagh. Two real earthquake sources of July 15, 1720 (MMI 1\u20444 IX, M 1\u20444 7:4) and August 27, 1960 (M 1\u20444 6:0) have been used in modelling. The response spectra ratio (RSR), i.e. the response spectra computed from the signals synthesized along the laterally varying section and normalized by the response spectra computed from the corresponding signals, synthesized for the bedrock reference regional model, have been determined. As expected, the sedimentary cover causes an increase of the signal amplitude, particularly in the radial and transverse components. To further check the site-effects, we reversed the source location to the other side of the cross section and recomputed the site amplifications. There are only a few sites where a large amplification is invariant with respect to the two source locations considered. The RSR ranges between 5 to 10 in the frequency range from 2.8 to 3.7 Hz for the radial and transverse components of motion along the NS cross section. Along the EW cross section RSR varies between 3.5 to 7.5 in the frequency range from 3.5 to 4.1 Hz. The amplification of the vertical component is considerable at high frequency (>4 Hz.) whereas it is negligible in lower frequency range

A deterministic seismic hazard map of India and adjacent areas.

A seismic hazard map of the territory of India and adjacent areas has been prepared using a deterministic approach based on the computation of synthetic seismograms complete with all main phases. The input data set consists of structural models, seismogenic zones, focal mechanisms and earthquake catalogues. There are few probabilistic hazard maps available for the Indian subcontinent, however, this is the first study aimed at producing a deterministic seismic hazard map for the Indian region using realistic strong ground motion modelling with the knowledge of the physical process of earthquake generation, the level of seismicity and wave propagation in anelastic media. Synthetic seismograms at a frequency of 1 Hz have been generated at a regular grid of 0.2\u25e6 7 0.2\u25e6 by the modal summation technique. The seismic hazard, expressed in terms of maximum displacement (Dmax), maximum velocity (V max), and design ground acceleration (DGA), has been extracted from the synthetic signals and mapped on a regular grid over the studied territory. The estimated values of the peak ground acceleration are compared with the observed data available for the Himalayan region and are found to be in agreement. Many parts of the Himalayan region have DGA values exceeding 0.6 g. The epicentral areas of the great Assam earthquakes of 1897 and 1950 in northeast India represent the maximum hazard with DGA values reaching 1.2\u20131.3 g. The peak velocity and displacement in the same region is estimated as 120\u2013177 cm s 121 and 60\u201390 cm, respectively

Long Period Ground Motion at Bedrock Level in Delhi City from Himalayan Earthquake Scenarios

Delhi, the capital of India, is prone to severe seismic hazards, not only from local events but also from Himalayan earthquakes at distances of 250\u2013300 km. Standard techniques are not sufficiently reliable to completely characterize the seismic hazards in this case due to the difficulty of predicting the occur- rence of earthquakes (frequency\u2013magnitude relations) and of properly treating the propagation of their effects (attenuation laws), especially their long-period components. In order to give a sound description of the seismic ground motion due to an earthquake in such a given range of distances (and magnitudes), we use model- ling techniques developed from physics of the seismic source generation and propagation processes. Such models take into account the directivity effect of rupture propagation and the attenuation of (long-period) ground motions. The generated ground motion scenarios permit us to build a very important knowledge base to be fruitfully used by civil engineers, since long period ground motions, especially if amplified by deep sedimentary basins, can represent a severe threat for large scale structures (e.g. lifelines and bridges) and tall buildings, which are widespread in fast-growing megacities. In this study, we simulate the ground motion, at bedrock level, in Delhi city, for an earthquake scenario corresponding to a source of Mw = 8.0 located in the central seismic gap of Himalayas, at an epicentral distance of about 300 km from Delhi city. By means of several parametric studies, we simulate the time histories using Size Scaled Point Source, Space and Time Scaled Point Source and Extended Source models. Together with the complete time histories (displacements, veloci- ties and accelerations, from which the peak amplitudes have been extracted), we have also used the displacement response spectrum to characterize the seismic input at Delhi. Not only is the dis- placement response spectrum of great significance to modern displacement-based design engineering approaches, but it is probably the best parameter by which to characterize the destruc- tiveness potential of earthquakes located at such great distances from the target sites (of the order of 300 km), since the energy of the seismic input is mainly concentrated at long periods (in general, greater than 1 s) and it cannot be determined by straightforward integration of velocity or acceleration response spectra

Influence of source distance on site-effects in Delhi city

The seismic ground motion along a geological cross- section from Tilak Bridge to Punjabi Bagh in Delhi city has been simulated at every 130 m with a hybrid technique (modal summation and finite differences). We use two earthquake source scenarios: (1) 27 August 1960, M = 6.0 at a distance of about 45 km (near source) and (2) a large (M = 8.0) earthquake due in the central seismic gap in the Himalayan region, at a distance of about 225 km (far source). We focus on the influence of the seismic source location and focal mechanism on site-response, which, in general, is neglected in tradi- tional site-effect studies. We compare the Response Spectra Ratio (RSR) for frequency up to 3 Hz compu- ted due to far and near sources. We observe 6\u20137 times higher amplification in the radial component at around 2\u20132.5 Hz due to the far source as-compared to the near source. However, there is some amplification, of the order 2\u20133, at lower frequencies (less than 1 Hz) due to the near source, which is missing when the far source is considered. To validate our results, we compare the RSR, obtained from the signals at soft sites, namely CPCB, IHC and CSIR, normalized to the bedrock Ridge site, recorded during Chamoli earthquake of 1999, with that at similar sites theoretically computed along our 2D geological cross-sections

False site effects : the Anjar case, following the 2001 Bhuj (India) earthquake

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Site Effects Investigation in Srinagar City of Kashmir Basin Using Microtremor and Its Inversion.

The Srinagar region of Kashmir Valley in North West Himalayas, covers more than 2 million inhabitants and is exposed to high seismic risk. In order to gain insight on potential site effects and subsurface structure of the region, we carried out an extensive high-resolution microtremor ambient noise survey at 429 locations. The acquired dataset was processed using the Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) technique to map the resonance frequency, the thickness of sedimentary cover, and to identify areas prone to seismic amplification. We provide a spatial classification of the obtained HVSR curves in four types: (1) clear peak H/V curves relating the strong impedance contrast in the subsurface; (2) multiple peaks (or Broad) H/V curves corresponding to sloping internal stratification of sediments; (3) two peaks H/V curves related to two different impedance contrast existing in the subsurface; (4) flat H/V curves around and over hard rock outcroppings. The HVSR curves show the peaks in the range of 0.22 Hz to 9.96 Hz indicating heterogeneous and complex sedimentary cover in the region. Inversion of the HVSR curves gives the shear waves velocity distribution which highlights two distinct reflective surfaces in most of the areas. In addition, we also used the estimated fundamental frequency of various types of houses/buildings located in Srinagar city to assess the possibility of resonance in case of occurrence of any earthquake. This study adds a value to the region in earthquake engineering, seismic hazard and risk evaluation purpose for Srinagar and its suburb