Subsurface lithology and seismic site classification of Lucknow urban center located in the central part of the Indo-Gangetic Basin (IGB) are presented based on detailed shallow subsurface investigations and borehole analysis. These are done by carrying out 47 seismic surface wave tests using multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) and 23 boreholes drilled up to 30 m with standard penetration test (SPT) N values. Subsurface lithology profiles drawn from the drilled boreholes show low- to medium-compressibility clay and silty to poorly graded sand available till depth of 30 m. In addition, deeper boreholes (depth >150 m) were collected from the Lucknow Jal Nigam (Water Corporation), Government of Uttar Pradesh to understand deeper subsoil stratification. Deeper boreholes in this paper refer to those with depth over 150 m. These reports show the presence of clay mix with sand and Kankar at some locations till a depth of 150 m, followed by layers of sand, clay, and Kankar up to 400 m. Based on the available details, shallow and deeper cross-sections through Lucknow are presented. Shear wave velocity (SWV) and N-SPT values were measured for the study area using MASW and SPT testing. Measured SWV and N-SPT values for the same locations were found to be comparable. These values were used to estimate 30 m average values of N-SPT (N
 30) and SWV (V
 s
 30
 ) for seismic site classification of the study area as per the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) soil classification system. Based on the NEHRP classification, the entire study area is classified into site class C and D based on V
 s
 30
 and site class D and E based on N
 30. The issue of larger amplification during future seismic events is highlighted for a major part of the study area which comes under site class D and E. Also, the mismatch of site classes based on N
 30 and V
 s
 30
 raises the question of the suitability of the NEHRP classification system for the study region. Further, 17 sets of SPT and SWV data are used to develop a correlation between N-SPT and SWV. This represents a first attempt of seismic site classification and correlation between N-SPT and SWV in the Indo-Gangetic Basin.

Seismic Site Classification and Correlation between Standard Penetration Test N Value and Shear Wave Velocity for Lucknow City in Indo-Gangetic Basin

The detrimental effects of an earthquake are strongly influenced by the response of soils subjected to dynamic loading. The behavior of soils under dynamic loading is governed by the dynamic soil properties such as shear wave velocity, damping characteristics and shear modulus. Worldwide, it is a common practice to obtain shear wave velocity (V
 s in m/s) using the correlation with field standard penetration test (SPT) N values in the absence of sophisticated dynamic field test data. In this paper, a similar but modified advanced approach has been proposed for a major metro city of eastern India, i.e., Kolkata city (latitudes 22°20′N–23°00′N and longitudes 88°04′E–88°33′E), to obtain shear wave velocity profile and soil site classification using regression and sensitivity analyses. Extensive geotechnical borehole data from 434 boreholes located across 75 sites in the city area of 185 km2 and laboratory test data providing information on the thickness of subsoil strata, SPT N values, consistency indices and percentage of fines are collected and analyzed thoroughly. A correlation between shear wave velocity (V
 s) and SPT N value for various soil profiles of Kolkata city has been established by using power model of nonlinear regression analysis and compared with existing correlations for other Indian cities. The present correlations, having regression coefficients (R
 2) in excess of 0.96, indicated good prediction capability. Sensitivity analysis predicts that significant influence of soil type exists in determining V
 s values, for example, typical silty sand shows 30.4 % increase in magnitude of V
 s as compared to silt of Kolkata city. Moreover, the soil site classification shows Class D and Class E category of soil that exists typically in Kolkata city as per NEHRP (Recommended provisions for seismic regulations for new buildings and other structures—Part 1: Provisions. Prepared by the Building Seismic Safety Council for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Report FEMA 450), Washington, DC, 2003) guidelines and thereby highlighting the seismic vulnerability of the city. The results presented in this study can be utilized for seismic microzonation, ground response analysis and hazard assessment for Kolkata city.

Variations in shear wave velocity and soil site class in Kolkata city using regression and sensitivity analysis

Earthquakes are known to have occurred in Indian subcontinent from ancient times. This paper presents the results of seismic hazard analysis of India (6 degrees-38 degrees N and 68 degrees-98 degrees E) based on the deterministic approach using latest seismicity data (up to 2010). The hazard analysis was done using two different source models (linear sources and point sources) and 12 well recognized attenuation relations considering varied tectonic provinces in the region. The earthquake data obtained from different sources were homogenized and declustered and a total of 27,146 earthquakes of moment magnitude 4 and above were listed in the study area. The sesismotectonic map of the study area was prepared by considering the faults, lineaments and the shear zones which are associated with earthquakes of magnitude 4 and above. A new program was developed in MATLAB for smoothing of the point sources. For assessing the seismic hazard, the study area was divided into small grids of size 0.1 degrees x 0.1 degrees (approximately 10 x 10 km), and the hazard parameters were calculated at the center of each of these grid cells by considering all the seismic sources within a radius of 300 to 400 km. Rock level peak horizontal acceleration (PHA) and spectral accelerations for periods 0.1 and 1 s have been calculated for all the grid points with a deterministic approach using a code written in MATLAB. Epistemic uncertainty in hazard definition has been tackled within a logic-tree framework considering two types of sources and three attenuation models for each grid point. The hazard evaluation without logic tree approach also has been done for comparison of the results. The contour maps showing the spatial variation of hazard values are presented in the paper.

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Deterministic seismic hazard macrozonation of India

For ground improvement, assessment of damage during an earthquake is very important issue which in turn depends on the ground motion. The characteristics of an earthquake motion at a site depend on the shear wave velocity (V
 s
 ). The shear wave velocity profile at a site may not be readily available however, the numbers of blows (N) from standard penetration test (SPT) are readily available. This paper presents a development of reliable correlation between V
 s
 measured by multi channel analysis of surface wave tests and N measured using SPT at various sites in Roorkee region. These tests have been carried out at ten different sites in Roorkee region (within a radius of 30 km). The SPT samples are tested in the laboratory for index properties. Roorkee is situated in high seismic zone, therefore the study is important for this region. Based on the statistical assessments, an empirical correlation between V
 s
 and N was developed. This is done separately for all types of soils, sands only and clays only. The developed relations fall within the range of other relations developed worldwide for other sites. A comparison with available relations is also presented. The proposed relations will be helpful in seismic microzonation of the region as ground motion is one of the important parameters.

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Correlation Between Shear Wave Velocity (Vs) and SPT Resistance (N) for Roorkee Region

This paper presents spatial variation of seismic hazard at the surface level for India, covering 6–38° N and 68–98° E. The most recent knowledge on seismic activity in the region has been used to evaluate the hazard incorporating uncertainties associated with the seismicity parameters using different modeling methodologies. Three types of seismic source models, viz. linear sources, gridded seismicity model and areal sources, were considered to model the seismic sources and different sets of ground motion prediction equations were used for different tectonic provinces to characterize the attenuation properties. The hazard estimation at bedrock level has been carried out using probabilistic approach and the results obtained from various methodologies were combined in a logic tree framework. The seismic site characterization of India was done using topographic slope map derived from Digital Elevation Model data. This paper presents estimation of the hazard at surface level, using appropriate site amplification factors corresponding to various site classes based on V S30 values derived from the topographic gradient. Spatial variation of surface level peak horizontal acceleration (PHA) for return periods of 475 years and 2475 years are presented as contour maps.

Probabilistic assessment of surface level seismic hazard in India using topographic gradient as a proxy for site condition

Shear wave velocity (V
 s) is one of the most important input parameter to represent the stiffness of the soil layers. It is preferable to measure V
 s by in situ wave propagation tests, however it is often not economically feasible to perform the tests at all locations. Hence, a reliable correlation between V
 s and standard penetration test blow counts (SPT-N) would be a considerable advantage. This paper presents the development of empirical correlations between V
 s and SPT-N value for different categories of soil in Chennai city characterized by complex variation of soil conditions. The extensive shear wave velocity measurement was carried out using Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) technique at the sites where the SPT-N values are available. The bender element test is performed to compare the field MASW test results for clayey soils. The correlations between shear wave velocity and SPT-N with and without energy corrections were developed for three categories of soil: all soils, sand and clay. The proposed correlations between uncorrected and energy corrected SPT-N were compared with regression equations proposed by various other investigators and found that the developed correlations exhibit good prediction performance. The proposed uncorrected and energy corrected SPT-N relationships show a slight variation in the statistical analysis indicating that both the uncorrected and energy corrected correlations can predict shear wave velocity with equal accuracy. It is also found that the soil type has a little effect on these correlations below SPT-N value of about 10.

Use of Surface Waves in Statistical Correlations of Shear Wave Velocity and Penetration Resistance of Chennai Soils

Chennai city suffered moderate tremors during the 2001 Bhuj and Pondicherry earthquakes and the 2004 Sumatra earthquake. After the Bhuj earthquake, Indian Standard IS: 1893 was revised and Chennai city was upgraded from zone II to zone III which leads to a substantial increase of the design ground motion parameters. Therefore, a comprehensive study is carried out to assess the seismic hazard of Chennai city based on a deterministic approach. The seismicity and seismotectonic details within a 100 km radius of the study area have been considered. The one-dimensional ground response analysis was carried out for 38 representative sites by the equivalent linear method using the SHAKE91 program to estimate the ground motion parameters considering the local site effects. The shear wave velocity profile was inferred from the corrected blow counts and it was verified with the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Wave (MASW) test performed for a representative site. The seismic hazard is represented in terms of characteristic site period and Spectral Acceleration Ratio (SAR) contours for the entire city. It is found that structures with low natural period undergo significant amplification mostly in the central and southern parts of Chennai city due to the presence of deep soil sites with clayey or sandy deposits and the remaining parts undergo marginal amplification.

Seismic hazard assessment of Chennai city considering local site effects

Seismic site classification and site period mapping of Chennai City using geophysical and geotechnical data

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R. Uma Maheswari

Papers

Use of Surface Waves in Statistical Correlations of Shear Wave Velocity and Penetration Resistance of Chennai Soils

Seismic hazard assessment of Chennai city considering local site effects

Seismic site classification and site period mapping of Chennai City using geophysical and geotechnical data

Effective Stress v/s Total Stress Ground Response Analyses for a Typical Site in Chennai (India)