INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE

NAME OF DEPTT./CENTER:

Department of Earthquake Engineering

1.

Subject Code: EQ 503

Course Title: Engineering Seismology

2.

Contact Hours:

3.

Examination Duration (Hrs.): Theory

4.

Relative Weightage: CWS

5.

Credits:

8.

Pre-requisite: Nil

9.

Objective: To introduce the relevant principles and prevalent practices in Engineering Seismology
from Earthquake Engineering viewpoint.

10.

Details of Course:

L: 03

15

T : 01

PRS

P : 2/2

Practical
15

MTE

6. Semester: Spring

30

ETE

0
40

PRE

00

7.Subject Area: PEC

S. No.
1.

Contents
Introduction: Scope of seismology; Definitions of important terms; Causes
of earthquakes and their classifications; Earthquake effects on ground and
structures.

Contact Hours
4

2.

Plate Tectonics and Seismicity: Plate tectonics- continental drift, types and
characteristics of various plate margins; Earthquake catalogue and seismicity
of the earth; Major earthquakes in the world; Important Indian earthquakes.

3.

Wave Propagation and Internal Structure of Earth: Theory of elasticity;

Wave equation; Body and surface waves; Laws of reflection, refraction,
attenuation, diffraction and dispersion; Local site effects; Seismic phases; Ray
parameter; Travel time curves; Internal structure of earth; Reference models.

4.

Earthquake Size: Earthquake intensity scales and isoseismal map;

Earthquake magnitude scales, energy, acceleration, frequency magnitude
relations and return period.

5.

Instrumentation: Earthquake recordings principles and theory of

seismograph; Various kinds of seismographs; Analog and digital recording,
WWSSN, GDSM; Real time warning system; International monitoring
system (IMS); Local seismological networks, strong motion networks and
their engineering importance.

6.

Data Processing and Analysis: Processing, analysis and interpretation of

seismograms; Estimation of earthquake parameters, source parameters and
fault plane solutions.

7.

Seismic Hazard Assessment: Definitions- seismic hazard, disaster and risk;

Probabilistic and deterministic approach; Earthquake occurrence models;
Seismotectonic modeling and type of sources; Estimation of maximum
magnitude, maximum credible earthquake, design basis earthquake;
Frequency magnitude relationship; Poissonian and Non Poissonian models;
Ground motion prediction equations; Uncertainties in seismic hazard
assessment and their quantification; Return periods and strong motion
exceedance rates; Site-specific design earthquake parameters; Case studies.

10

Total

42

List of Experiments:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Installation and operation of seismograph to record ground motion.

Calibration of seismograph to compute its response.
Background noise survey for selection of site.
Interpretation of seismograms and estimation of source parameters.

11. Suggested Books:

S. No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Year of
Publication/Reprint
Bullen, K.E. and Bolt, B.A., An introduction to the Theory of
1985
Seismology, Fourth Edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Kulhanek, O., Anatomy of Seismograms, Elsevier Science Publication.
1990
Lay Thorne and Wallance Terry C., Modern global seismology,
1995
Academic press.
William Lowrie, Fundamentals of Geophysics, Cambridge, Univ. Press.
1997
Kramer, S.L., Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Second Indian
2004
reprint, Pearson Education.
Name of Authors / Books / Publishers