Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of Dhanbad city, India

Dhanbad, also known as ‘Coal Capital of India’, is an important district in the state of Jharkhand, India. In this paper, hazard maps for the city are prepared at bedrock level following probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). In the absence of region-specific prediction model, the concept of logic tree comprising of four different ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) is employed to consider epistemic uncertainties. The study reveals that the maximum expected peak ground acceleration (PGA) in the city may be 0.16 g and 0.23 g with 10% and 2% probability of exceedances in 50 years, respectively. The most conservative seismic hazard curve for Dhanbad city is presented to aid future earthquake-resistant design. Furthermore, it is found that blocks in southern parts of the city such as Baghmara, Jharia and Baliapur are most vulnerable to seismic hazard.