Indian Geotechnical Conference 2010, GEOtrendz

December 1618, 2010

IGS Mumbai Chapter & IIT Bombay

An Overview of Seismic Zonation Studies in India

Mohapatra, A.K. Mohanty, W.K.

Research Scholar Associate Professor
e-mail: alokgpiitkgp@gmail.com e-mail: wkmohanty@gg.iitkgp.ernet.in

Department of Geology and Geophysics, IIT, Kharagpur, Kharagpur

ABSTRACT
The paper discusses a brief history of seismic zoning studies in India through chronological order including the
limitations on its use. It also discusses the progressive development of the seismic zonation map of India and how
it was reviewed, revised and modified periodically with the availability of more data and with a better understanding
of the dynamics of the earthquake. Seismic zoning is one such step for assessing the hazard in a country and
provides input parameters to planers and civil engineers for safe designs and construction of structures, which
can sustain due to an earthquake. The Seismic Zonation Map of a country is not only guides about the seismic
status and susceptibility of a region, but also indicates the direction of future work. Such observations also point
out that there is a clear-cut and urgent need to focus research and development, public awareness, geo-technical
competence, enforcement on engineering aspects for earthquakes in India.

1. INTRODUCTION more realistic seismic zoning maps for India. As there is a

In the last decade, the Indian subcontinent has experienced
many devastating earthquakes. The occurrence of
earthquakes is not evenly distributed in India. Major
earthquakes of India are associated with the collision plate
boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plate. The
occurrence of earthquake is irregular in the southern India,
whereas the northeastern, the northern and the
northwestern part of India are subjected to regular
earthquakes. The Himalayan Frontier is seismically one of
the most active regions of the world. The peninsular India
is also not devoid of earthquake. It was recently significant
for three severe earthquakes such as Killari in 1993,
Jabalpur in 1997 and Bhuj in 2001. As per the UN report
the damage and human loss due to earthquake in developing
countries like India is quite high compared to the developed
nations. The regular occurrence of earthquakes reminds us
about the high level of seismic hazard and risk prevailing
in the country. There is a dire need to integrate all the
recent advances in our knowledge to produce the state of
the art zoning map, both on large as well as micro scales
on which the public can depend. Seismogenic zones were
classified on the basis of historical seismicity, geology,
tectonics, soil types, and seismo-tectonics intensity of
ground motion. This review article discusses a brief history
of seismic zoning studies in India through chronological
order. We discuss the scope for future studies to prepare
wide variation in the intensity of ground motion and also
in the frequency of occurrence of earthquakes, there was a
need to divide India into broad zones in terms of expected
ground motion to represent the seismic hazards. Besides
the zoning map of India by the BIS, other non-official
seismic hazard map have been available in literature by
various workers (Auden, 1959; Guha, 1962; Kaila & Rao,
1979; Khattri et al., 1984; Bhatia et al., 1999 and Parvez
et al., 2003;) based on the statistical or probabilistic models.
2. WHAT IS SEISMIC ZONING?
Seismic Zoning can be defined as a process by which areas
are subdivided into seismic zones based on expected of
ground motion, which is expressed in terms of peak
horizontal ground acceleration (PGA) or peak ground
velocity (PGV). On the other way, seismic Zonation
demarcates equal hazard with respect to a characteristic of
strong ground shaking and of site or structural response. A
seismic zoning map differs from seismicity map by the fact
that it specifies the levels of force or ground motions for
earthquake resistance design, where as seismicity map
provides location and characteristics of earthquakes.
3. WHY SEISMIC ZONATION IS NECESSARY IN
INDIA?
Seismic zonation is a process, which provided information
about any decision making for urban regional planning or for
176
earthquake design in earthquake areas. In principle, seismic
zoning map is the main source for zoning, which is displaying
quantities related to the expected frequency and intensity of
shaking caused by earthquakes. The task of seismic zoning
is multidisciplinary and involves the best of inputs from
geologists, geotechnicals, seismologists, earthquake and
structural engineers. The rapid urbanization due to population
outburst, coming up of mega cities in potential seismic zones
is the main reason for seismic hazard in India.
4. SEISMIC ZONATION IN INDIA BY
BIS: (IS: 1893-1962 TO IS: 1893-1984)
This paper describes in brief the earlier history of the science
of seismology of the country, particularly evolved of seismic
zones up to the recent. The first national seismic zoning
map of India was compiled by the Geological Survey of
India (GSI) in 1935 (Auden, 1959) after the great Bihar
Nepal earthquake of 15 January 1934 with magnitude 8.4.
Tandon (1956) first came up with the seismic zoning map
of India. It consists of three zones (Severe, Light and Minor
hazard) based on the broad concept of spacetime
earthquake statistics and the prevailing understanding of
geotectonic. Then in 1962, the Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS) (earlier, Indian Standards Institution) published the
seismic zonation map of India (IS: 1893"1962). It is made
based on earthquake epicenters and the isoseismic map
published by the GSI in 1935, where India was divided
into seven zones ranging from 0 (no damage) to VI
(extensive damage) as shown in Fig.1a. The Deccan Plateau
was considered more or less a safe zone and the hazard
level was assigned 0 while the northeastern India was
assigned VI. The zoning was reviewed in 1966 (IS:
1893"1966) and additional information like the geology
and the tectonic features were taken into account for
modifying the zones (Fig.1b). The zonation map underwent
major revision in 1970 (Fig. 2a) after the 1967 Koyna
earthquake. The magnitude of the earthquake was 6.5 and
occurred at the Deccan Plateau, which was previously
assigned the zone 0 in the earlier maps. There arose the
need to utilize both geological and geophysical data to
review the zoning. This zonation map consists of five zones
such as I, II, III, IV and V on the basis of MMI scale with
CIS 64 scale such as I, II, III, IV and V (Table 1). The
major change was the removal of the zone 0 as it was not
appropriate scientifically to consider a region with zero
possibility of earthquake shock. Another addition was the
merging of the zones V and VI (IS: 1893"1970). In 1984,
the zonation map (Fig. 2b) was modified (IS: 1893"1984)
where the regions of different seismogenic potential were
identified on the basis of past earthquakes and the regional
tectonic features. However, the map does not show the
seismic hazard at different locations and failed to assess
A.K. Mohapatra and W.K. Mohanty
the return periods of the required design seismic coefficients
for the source zones.
Fig. 1: Seismic Zonation Map of India Prepared in (a) 1962
(BIS, 1962) and (b) 1966 (BIS, 1966)
Fig. 2: Seismic Zonation Map of India Prepared in (a) 1970
(BIS, 1970) and (b) 1984 (BIS, 1984)
5. SEISMIC ZONATION ON THE BASIS OF
GSHAP
The Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program (GSHAP)
was coordinated at the global level and employed at regional
local scale through various centers of each region. The map
showed the hazard level in terms of PGA. The expected
PGA is shown with a 10% probability of exceedance in 50
years, corresponding to a return period of 475 years. The
GSHAP map show approximately 70% of the earths
continental land mass to have low hazard, 22% have
moderate hazard and 6% have high hazard, whole
remaining 2% have highest PGA with an average return
period of 475 years. The four seismic zones of India such
as zone II, III, IV and V are assigned PGA values ranging
from 0.1 g, 0,2 g, 0.25 g and 0.4 g respectively (Giardini et
al. 1999) with 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years.
6. RECENT SEISMIC ZONES IN INDIA:
(BIS-2002)
The 1993 Latur earthquake of magnitude 6.3 caused intensity
IX damages but prior to the earthquake, Latur was placed in
seismic zone 1, where no such magnitude of earthquake was
expected. The Latur earthquake further led to the revision of
the seismic zonation map of India. The map was revised again
in 2002 with only four zones such as II, III, IV and V (IS:
1893 (Part 1): 2002) (Fig. 3). The Peninsular India was
modified and Zones I and II were combined. The new zone
placed the 1993 Latur earthquake in zone III. The areas
An Overview of Seismic Zonation Studies in India
falling under zone V is most seismically active. The areas
under this zone are the entire northeastern part of India, parts
of northwestern Bihar, the Kangra Valley in Himachal
Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, eastern part of
Uttaranchal, the Rann of Kutchh in Gujarat and the Srinagar
area in Jammu and Kashmir. Two major metropolitan cities,
with a high population density, i.e. Delhi, lie in zone IV, and
Kolkata, at the boundary of zone III and IV of the zonation
map. The recent four seismic zones of India are assigned PGA
values ranging from 0.1 g to 0.4 g (Giardini et al. 1999) with
10% probability of exceedance in 50 years. The changes in
the zonation map of India with the occurrence of significant
earthquakes are an indication that the zoning at a national
level does not provide the solution for tackling the seismic
hazards.
Fig. 3: Seismic Zonation Map of India Prepared in
2002 (BIS, 2002)
7. ZONING MAPS FROM INDIVIDUAL STUDIES
Seismic zonation of India was also carried out by
individuals. Different authors suggest the zonation map
on the basis of different criteria. The early maps were
qualitative (Tandon 1956;) while the subsequent maps are
quantitative on the basis of MMI scale (Guha, 1962; Gubin
1968;1971) and later on the PSHA were becoming a
significant role for the classification of seismic zones.
Tandan (1956) were classified India into three zones, Guha
(1962) five zones, Gubin (1968) in sixteen zones where as
(Khatri et al. 1984) divided India into twenty four
seismogenic sources. Bhatia et al. 1999 was identified
eighty six potential seismic source zones (Fig. 4) on the
basis of the major tectonic features and seismic trends for
a probabilistic hazard assessment map of India. In recent
Parvez et al. 2003 divided the India subcontinent into 15
regional polygons based on their structural models,
seismogenic zones and Q structure, focal mechanism and
earthquake catalogs.
177
Fig. 4: The Eighty Six Potential Seismic Source Zones
Considered for the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Map of India
(after Bhatia et al., 1999)
8. CONCLUDING REMARKS
Seismic Zoning Map of a country is not only guiding to
the seismic status and susceptibility of a region, but also
zoning indicates the direction of future work basically aimed
at designing (Krishna, 1992). This review paper discusses
the progressive modifications of the national seismic
zonation map of India officially by BIS, other individual
studies and by international program like as GSHAP. This
study also analyzes the systematic development of zonation
maps and a various methods adopted. Since the first official
release of the national seismic zonation map by BIS in 1962,
it has been subsequently modified in 1966, 1970, 1984 and
2002 with the occurrences of major devasting earthquakes
and availability of new datasets in terms of geological
geophysical and tectonic maps. The deterministic modeling
of hazard for the Indian Territory provides us with a
powerful economically valid scientific tool for seismic
zonation and hazard assessment. Furthermore, it may help
those earthquakes and civil engineers which to undertake
comprehensive and detailed studies of earthquake hazard
of India (Parvez, 2003). This study and the work provide a
preliminary and rough estimation of seismic zones in India.
More work is needed to prevent large/great earthquakes
using different techniques for must dense developing
country like India. So, Planers and Civil Engineers will be
more active to assess the hazard India for safe design and
construction structures, which can sustain vibration due to
earthquake. Earthquake safety is a rather challenging
engineering problem not only for science but also
engineering, instrumentation, public awareness, public
policy. From the above discussion there is a clear urgently
needed to focus research and development, public
awareness, technical competence, enforcement on
engineering of earthquakes in India.
178 A.K. Mohapatra and W.K. Mohanty

Table1: The Seismic Zones with its MMI IS 1893-2002

In IS 1893-1962 and IS 1893-1966 In IS 1893-1970.IS 1893-1975 and IS 1893- In IS 1893-2002

1984
Seismic Mapped to MMI Seismic Mapped to MMI Scale with
Zone Scale Zone CIS-64 Scale Mapped to a Modified
0 Below V Seismic CIS-64 Scale
I V I V and below Zone
II VI II VI II VI and below
III VII III VII III VII
IV VIII IV VIII IV VIII
V IX V IX and above V IX and above
VI X and above

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