A comparative study of ground motion parameters at bedrock and surface level in Kathmandu Basin

Chenna Rajaram (), Jaya Prakash Vemuri (), Satyannarayana Rambha () and Giridhar Rajesh Bande ()
Additional contact information
Chenna Rajaram: Rajeev Gandhi Memorial College of Engineering and Technology
Jaya Prakash Vemuri: Mahindra University
Satyannarayana Rambha: Rajiv Gandhi Univeristy of Knowledge Technologies
Giridhar Rajesh Bande: Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2025, vol. 121, issue 8, No 24, 9543-9562

Abstract: Abstract Nepal, a landlocked country in the Himalayan region, was struck by a devastating earthquake of magnitude Mw 7.8 on 25th April, 2015. The major earthquake destroyed millions of structures and caused immense loss of life. Unfortunately, only a few seismic stations recorded the earthquake, presenting a challenge for understanding the observed non-uniform structural damage in the region. In this study, synthetic ground motions are generated at the bedrock level using the stochastic finite fault method. The ground motions are later estimated at the surface level using the equivalent linear site response analysis program, using soil profiles from 9 borehole locations from the Kathmandu basin. The key characteristics of the synthetic strong ground motions are tabulated and analyzed. Peak ground accelerations (PGA) at bedrock in the region range from 0.064 g to 0.09 g. Remarkably, the Kankali site (BH6) exhibits the highest outcrop acceleration response, with bedrock and outcrop PGAs measuring 0.083 g and 0.170 g, respectively. Observations indicate that soil profiles experience their greatest amplification ratio within the frequency range of 1.2 Hz–7.3 Hz. Plots of response spectra for the synthetic ground motions are derived and compared with the provisions of the Nepal’s seismic design code. The key characteristics of strong ground motions and observations from the derived response spectra correlate well with the available reports of structural damage in the earthquake. These observations provide valuable insights into seismic vulnerability and soil behavior that is crucial for seismic hazard assessment and engineering design considerations.

Keywords: 2015 Nepal earthquake; Synthetic ground motions; Stochastic finite fault method; Soil amplification; Response spectra (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-025-07181-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:121:y:2025:i:8:d:10.1007_s11069-025-07181-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11069

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-025-07181-8

Access Statistics for this article

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards is currently edited by Thomas Glade, Tad S. Murty and Vladimír Schenk

More articles in Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards from Springer, International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().