Tribhuvan University

Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus

Department of Civil Engineering
M.Sc. in Geotechnical Engineering

GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

Mandip Subedi (Geotechnical Engineer/PhD Scholar, TU, Pulchowk Campus)

Phone: 9851124192
Email: Mandip.subedi@gmail.com
2.0 Earthquake History:
• 2.1 Preface
• 2.2 Global History
• 2.3 Nepal Earthquake History
• 2.4 Earthquake Catalouge
History of Seismology
• Aristotle (330 BC): Wind blowing in underground caverns!
• 143 Gansu, China earthquake: Probably first instrumental record of unfelt
shock
• 1755 Lisbon earthquake: First thinking of seismological view in earthquake
from 1755 Lisbon earthquake
• 1783 Calabria Earthquake: First event studied by scientific commission
• 1880-1920: Birth of the “New Seismology”!
• Japan invites foreign experts and emphasis on earthquake science
Path
Source
History of Seismology
• The first recording of distant earthquake (Japan M7+)1889 from Von
Rebeur-Paschwitz in Germany

• John Milne, returned from Japan to British and started to establish global
network in association with British Association for the Advancement of
Path
Science,
History of Seismology
• Classical Period: 1920 – 1960
Descriptive natural history of earthquakes, wave propagation
Earth Structure
Seismic Geography
Earthquake Mechanism
Surface waves

• The modern era: 1960 –

Path
World wide standard seismograph network
History of Seismology

Collected by: Duncan Carr Agnew (UC San Diego

 Importance of Seismology
▪To understand about the earthquake, their nature, and the effect on our life

▪ To design and built the earthquake resistance structures to minimize the loss
of human life, property, nature, and environment

▪ To plan the disaster management program during earthquake

Earthquake History(Nepal)
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Source:http://drrportal.gov.np/ndrrip/main.html
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

31

30

Mw
29 7.8 Mw
Longitude

7.3

28
KATNP

27

26
80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89
Lattitude
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake
Gorkha Earthquake and Aftershocks (ML>=4.0)
140 7.6 8

118 6.8
120 7

5.5 6

LOCAL MAGNITUDE (ML)

100 5.2 5.3 5.2
NO OF AFTERSHOCKS

5.1 5 5.1 5
4.9 4.8
4.5 4.6 4.6 4.5 5
4.3 4.4 4.4
80 72
4
60
3
40 36
28 31 2

20 14 12 11 9 10 8 9 1
4 5 7 5 4 6
2
0 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Source: NSC
WEEKS AFTER GORKHA EARTHQUAKE

Frequency of Earthquake Occurance Largest Local Magnitude

Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Earthquakes:
Main shock
Eight Aftershocks
All three components
No Date Mag ED

1 25-Apr M7.8 76.86

2 25-Apr M6.6 69.3
3 25-Apr M5.5 33
4 25-Apr M5.3 18.5
Record Station: KATNP 5 26-Apr M5.2 43.6
Recorded by: USGS 6 26-Apr M6.7 67.2
Location: Kantipath, Kathmandu 7 26-Apr M5.3 44.8
Source: strong motion data center 8 12-May M7.3 75.1
9 12-May M6.3 83.9
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake
200 100

0
(a) Acceleration 0 (b) Velocity

-200 -100
200 100
Acceleration (gal)

Velocity (kine)
0 0

-200 -100
200 100

0 0

-200 -100
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Time (sec) Time (sec)
(c) Response Spectra
700
E
N
600
U

Spectral Acceleration (gal)

500

400

300

200

100

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Period (Sec)
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake
(a) Acceleration (b) Fourier Spectra (c) Response Spectra
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Dharahara 1934 Damage 2015 Damage

Clock Tower
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Patan Durbar Square

Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Swayambhu
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Gorkha Durbar
Gorkha-Nepal Earthquake

Stone Masonry Structures

Failure mechanisms:
➢ Shear Failure
There are few cases of such failure as out
of plane failure dominate in most of the
structures
➢ Out of plane failure
- Delamination of wall is the main reason
of stone masonry damage.
❖ Wrong construction technique
❖ Construct wall from outside and inside
at a time but make it like inner wall and
outer wall.
❖ No any bands present across the wall in
most of the structures.
Stone Masonry Structures

Dolakha
Charikot
Brick Masonry Structures
Failure mechanisms:
Shear
Out of Plane Failure
RC Structures
RC Structures
Structural Damage over the country

Source:http://drrportal.gov.np/ndrrip/main.html
Stone Masonry Structures

❖ Stone/Brick Masonry with mud mortar (SBMM) has large share in structures.

❖ In Recent Gorkha earthquake 6,429 people died in five districts where there are about
90% of structures are of SBMM.

❖ These structures are weak for earthquake lateral load.

Stone Masonry Structures

After
Before

Gorkha
Harmi
Damage Survey
Structures and Damage Index
Damage index
Total no of structures: 149
Highest altitude in survey area : 1170 m Ridge
Lowest altitude: 650 m Village-1

Most Damage area: Village - 2

Village-2

Village-3
Topographic map of survey area
 Tribhuvan University
Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus
Department of Civil Engineering
M.Sc. in Geotechnical Engineering

GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

Thank You!!!
Damage Survey
Structures and Damage Index
Total no of structures: 149

Index Description Most Damage area: Village - 2

0 No damage/Minor cracks
Index L M S
1 Few damage with major cracks
0 3 6 3
Top of wall collapsed, excessive
2 cracks in wall 1 23 23 10

2 18 13 4
3 Roof do not collapsed totally
3 11 19 6
4 Ground floor walls remain
4 3 7 0
5 Totally Collapsed in all sides 5 0 0 0
Damage Survey
Structures and Damage Index
Damage index in Ridge line Weightage percentage of damage in
Total no of structures: 52 (12 Structures in Ridge line with Total
(Ridge)+40 (Village-2) structures
Index L M S Percentage of structures in Ridge line: 34.9%
0 0 0 0 Structures with high damage index
1 2 4 2
2 4 3 3
dominant from ridge line structures.
3 10 12 5
4 3 4 0 Index L M S
5 0 0 0

Damage index in Village-2

0 0% 0% 0%
Total no of structures: 63 1 9% 17% 20%
Index L M S
2 22% 23% 75%
0 0 0 1
1 6 3 3 3 91% 63% 83%
2 9 5 3
3 10 13 4 4 100% 57% NA
4 3 3 0
5 0 0 0 5 NA NA NA
 Damage Survey
Structures and Damage Index
Size of structure (L)
Damage index Damage index in ridgeline
0 1 2 3 4 5
30 0% 0% 10%
16%
60
20
40 21%

10 53%
20
0
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
0 1 2 3 4 5 Size of structure (M)
Structure size L Structure size M 0 1 2 3 4 5
Structure size L Structure size M
Structure size S Total 17% 0% 0% 18%
Structure size S Total

13%
Total Damage scenario Damage scenario in ridgeline 52%

0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4 5

0% 0% 0% Size of structure (S)

7% 8% 14% 15%
0 1 2 3 4 5
24%
38% 19% 0% 0% 0%

20%
52%
23% 50%
30%
Nepal Earthquake
Nepal Earthquake
Nepal Earthquake
Risk of Earthquake

R. Bilham