Over the last several decades there has been increasing interest in the seismic assessment and retrofit of buildings in zones of induced seismicity. Induced seismicity, often linked to activities such as extraction of fossil fuels or groundwater injection, presents a set of different challenges for seismic assessment and retrofit when compared to the more common case of natural occurring seismicity. This paper compares and contrasts seismic assessment and retrofit in areas of induced seismicity and areas where earthquakes occur naturally due to plate tectonics. Particular reference is made to New Zealand and Groningen in the Netherlands. New Zealand lies on the border of the Australian and Pacific plates and therefore has a relatively long history of managing seismic risk from naturally-occurring earthquakes. On the other hand, the province of Groningen in the Netherlands is not historically a seismic zone, but over the last two decades has experienced a significant number of small earthquakes as the result of sustained gas production from an underlying field. The differences between the induced and tectonic seismic settings relate to technical, procedural and social aspects. On the technical front, consideration is given to differences in the nature of the seismic hazard along with the differences in building vulnerability. The procedural aspects relate to differences in the objectives of seismic assessment retrofit and differences in how seismic risk is managed. In depth consideration of social aspects is outside the scope of the paper, but some limited observations are made based on experience in both the Netherlands and New Zealand. It is shown that consideration of typical approaches for seismic assessment and retrofit in tectonic settings serve as a good starting point for addressing seismic risk from induced earthquakes. However, by considering the peculiarities of induced seismicity, various stakeholders, such as governmental organizations, engineers, and building owners, can more effectively manage the associated risk and societal impact
CONTRASTING SEISMIC ASSESSMENT AND RETROFIT IN ZONES OF INDUCED AND NATURALLY-OCCURRING SEISMICITY
M. J. Fox
2020-01-01
Abstract
Over the last several decades there has been increasing interest in the seismic assessment and retrofit of buildings in zones of induced seismicity. Induced seismicity, often linked to activities such as extraction of fossil fuels or groundwater injection, presents a set of different challenges for seismic assessment and retrofit when compared to the more common case of natural occurring seismicity. This paper compares and contrasts seismic assessment and retrofit in areas of induced seismicity and areas where earthquakes occur naturally due to plate tectonics. Particular reference is made to New Zealand and Groningen in the Netherlands. New Zealand lies on the border of the Australian and Pacific plates and therefore has a relatively long history of managing seismic risk from naturally-occurring earthquakes. On the other hand, the province of Groningen in the Netherlands is not historically a seismic zone, but over the last two decades has experienced a significant number of small earthquakes as the result of sustained gas production from an underlying field. The differences between the induced and tectonic seismic settings relate to technical, procedural and social aspects. On the technical front, consideration is given to differences in the nature of the seismic hazard along with the differences in building vulnerability. The procedural aspects relate to differences in the objectives of seismic assessment retrofit and differences in how seismic risk is managed. In depth consideration of social aspects is outside the scope of the paper, but some limited observations are made based on experience in both the Netherlands and New Zealand. It is shown that consideration of typical approaches for seismic assessment and retrofit in tectonic settings serve as a good starting point for addressing seismic risk from induced earthquakes. However, by considering the peculiarities of induced seismicity, various stakeholders, such as governmental organizations, engineers, and building owners, can more effectively manage the associated risk and societal impactI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
