Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment of Dhanbad City, India

Dhanbad is one of the most important districts in India. It is rich in ores, minerals and specially known for its coal production. The city is experiencing rapid industrialization and growth in population. This paper aims at developing microzonation maps for seismic hazard of the city. The seismic hazard maps will be helpful for mining authorities as well as city planners. In this study, deterministic seismic hazard analysis (DSHA) is carried out for the city. Epistemic uncertainties in the hazard definition have been handled by considering the logic tree framework comprising of four different prediction equations. It is estimated that the peak ground acceleration (PGA) at bedrock level in the city can vary in range of 0.13–0.22 g. Furthermore, places in the outskirts like Baghmara, Topchachi, Baliapur and Nirsa are found to be most prone to seismic activities. Based on the developed microzonation map, the whole district is segregated into three major seismic zones. Next, site-specific response spectrum for every zone is developed to aid the seismic design of critical and lifeline structures. Finally, these spectra are compared with that of recommended by Indian codes.