The 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes: context and cause of injury

The aim of this study was to investigate causes of injury during the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes. Data on patients injured during the Darfield (4 September 2010) and Christchurch (22 February 2011) earthquakes were sourced from the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation. The total injury burden was analyzed for demography, context of injury, causes of injury, and injury type. Injury context was classified as direct (shaking of the primary earthquake or aftershocks causing unavoidable injuries), action (movement of person during the primary earthquake or aftershocks causing potentially avoidable injuries), and secondary (cause of injury after shaking ceased). Nine categories of injury cause were identified. Three times as many people were injured in the Christchurch earthquake as in the Darfield earthquake (7,171 vs. 2,256). The primary shaking caused approximately two-thirds of the injuries from both quakes. Actions during the primary shaking and aftershocks led to many injuries (51.3 % Darfield and 19.4 % Christchurch). Primary direct caused the highest proportion of injuries during the daytime Christchurch quake (43.6 %). Many people were injured after shaking stopped in both events: 499 (22.1 % Darfield) and 1,881 (26.2 % Christchurch). Most of these people were injured during clean-up (320 (14.2 %) Darfield; 622 (8.7 %) Christchurch). In both earthquakes, more females than males (1,453 vs. 803 Darfield; 4,646 vs. 2,525 Christchurch) were injured (except by masonry, damaged ground, and during clean-up); trip/fall (27.9 % Darfield; 26.1 % Christchurch) was the most common cause of injury; and soft tissue injuries (74.1 % Darfield; 70.4 % Christchurch) was the most common type of injury. This study demonstrated that where people were and their actions during and after earthquakes influenced their risk of injury.     

When the earth blisters: Exploring recurrent liquefaction features in the coastal system of Christchurch,New Zealand

The 14 February, or Valentine's Day, 2016 earthquake located offshore of Christchurch produced a new generation of liquefaction in the coastal environment of Christchurch, an environment of recurrent liquefaction during the 2010–2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. The Valentine's Day earthquake occurred while trenches were open at a site in the coastal environment for studying the 2010–2011 liquefaction features. Observations in the 2016 trenches provided insights into the formation of a suite of surface and subsurface liquefaction features characteristic of the dune deposits, related to the persistent shallow water table, well‐sorted sands within the liquefiable layer and the soil above. Given these conducive conditions, there is a high potential that all earthquakes capable of inducing liquefaction may have been recorded during formation of the dunes near Christchurch. However, overprinting by subsequent generations of liquefaction features may be common and present challenges in unravelling the event history.     

The 2012 Northern Italy Earthquakes: modelling human behaviour

The aim of this study was to investigate human behaviour during the 2012 Northern Italy Earthquakes. Furthermore, the current study used Kuligowski and Mileti’s (Fire Saf J 44:487–496, 2009) extended model and the Social Attachment Model as a framework to explain the behavioural responses. The study included 1839 participants who were affected by the earthquake occurred in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy) on 20 May 2012. The most frequent behavioural responses during the earthquake were moving to another room of the house, escaping from home, and waiting in bed. According to Kuligowski and Mileti’s (Fire Saf J 44:487–496, 2009) extended model, perceived risk was associated with evacuation, and emergency preparedness was related to more efficient and effective responses during the earthquake. In line with the Social Attachment Model, affiliation behaviours were more frequent than flight behaviours, while, contrary to predictions, the social context did not influence emotional responses, evacuation behaviour, and search for protection.     

Classroom responses of New Zealand school teachers following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake

Following a damaging magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand on February 22, 2011, an unprecedented number of displaced school children were enrolled temporarily or permanently in new schools throughout New Zealand. This study utilized accounts from primary school teachers in New Zealand, derived from focus groups scheduled in March and April 2011 for an evaluation of a disaster preparedness teaching resource, to examine how these disasters impacted individuals and schools outside of Christchurch. The educators’ focus group accounts provide an illustration of classroom responses including providing emotional support to displaced children, informal classroom discussions, curricular responses, addressing disaster rumors, and information seeking through peers. Some recommendations are provided on ways to support teachers’ important roles in disaster recovery, including targeting evidence-based guidance and teaching resources to schools enrolling displaced children, dispelling disaster rumors through schools and facilitating peer mentoring among teachers. An overarching lesson is that communities would benefit from teachers being better equipped to provide emotional support and responsive disaster education to children after disasters.     

Cost–benefit analyses to assess the potential of Operational Earthquake Forecasting prior to a mainshock in Europe

In the past couple of decades, Operational Earthquake Forecasting (OEF) has been proposed as a way of mitigating earthquake risk. In particular, it has the potential to reduce human losses (injuries and deaths) by triggering actions such as reinforcing earthquake drills and preventing access to vulnerable structures during a period of increased seismic hazard. Despite the dramatic increases in seismic hazard in the immediate period before a mainshock (of up to 1000 times has been observed), the probability of a potentially damaging earthquake occurring in the coming days or weeks remains small (generally less than 5%). Therefore, it is necessary to balance the definite cost of taking an action against the uncertain chance that it will mitigate earthquake losses. In this article, parametric cost–benefit analyses using a recent seismic hazard model for Europe and a wide range of inputs are conducted to assess when potential actions for short-term OEF are cost–beneficial prior to a severe mainshock. Ninety-six maps for various combinations of input parameters are presented. These maps show that low-cost actions (costing less than 1% of the mitigated losses) are cost–beneficial within the context of OEF for areas of moderate to high seismicity in the Mediterranean region. The actions triggered by OEF in northern areas of the continent are, however, unlikely to be cost–beneficial unless very large increases in seismicity are observed or very low-cost actions are possible.

     

Microzonation of Zeytinburnu region with respect to soil amplification: A case study

A microzonation study is performed as a part of the Zeytinburnu Pilot Project within the framework of the Earthquake Master Plan for Istanbul to determine the effects of local soil conditions on the earthquake forces that will act on structures. For this purpose, detailed geological and geotechnical studies are conducted at the site, a geological map which demonstrates the local geological features of the site is prepared, and the site is classified with respect to the dynamic behaviour based on the data gathered from the soil borings. In order to investigate the effects of local soil conditions on the dynamic behaviour, site response analyses are performed with the computer code EERA by utilizing the findings of field and laboratory investigations. The behaviour of the region during a probable earthquake is investigated through one dimensional response analyses and microzonation maps are prepared with respect to ground shaking intensity in accordance with the new microzonation manual [Ansal, A., Laue, J., Buchheister, J., Erdik, M., Springman, S., Studer, J., and Koksal, D., 2004. “Site characterization and site amplification for a seismic microzonation study in Turkey” 11th Int. Conference on Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering and 3rd Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering, San Francisco; Studer, J. and Ansal, A., 2004. Belediyeler için Sismik Mikrobölgeleme El Kitabı, Araştırma Raporu, Afet İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü, Bayındırlık ve İskan Bakanlığı, Afet Risk Yönetimi Dünya Enstitüsü].     

频率下降率法对2011年新西兰6.3级地震液化的盲测

场地液化实时监测是减轻地震灾害的新手段,其核心是建立依据强震记录识别场地液化技术,但目前建立的方法尚不成熟,可靠性也缺少实际地震的检验。2011年新西兰地震中液化及其震害现象显著,为检测现有液化识别方法提供了条件。利用该次强震记录,采用孙锐和袁晓铭以往提出的频率下降率法对记录场地液化进行了盲测,为今后方法改进提供思路。针对震中距小于50 km的全部27条原始强震记录进行了识别,有9个场地识别为液化场地,其余为非液化场地;对两个已报道为液化的场地,频率下降率法给出了正确的识别结果;识别出的液化场地主要集中在克赖斯特彻奇市东侧Avon河两岸,这一结果与报导定性相符;发现有两个场地原始强震记录存在疑点,经处理后给出了修正结果。     

The impact of rockfalls on dwellings during the 2011 Christchurch,New Zealand,earthquakes

Rockfalls and debris avalanches triggered by earthquakes during the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence killed five people and caused an estimated US$400 million in damages. In total, about 200 dwellings were directly impacted by some of the ~6000 rockfalls and debris avalanches that occurred across the Port Hills of Christchurch. This research presents the results of the analysis of a high-quality database of 61 individual rockfall impacts on 29 dwellings in the Port Hills of Christchurch, New Zealand. Dwellings in the Port Hills are typically simple timber-frame structures with wooden or unreinforced masonry cladding, comparable to most dwellings across New Zealand, North America, Australia, and elsewhere. Rockfall impacts on dwellings in this study were observed to follow a power law relationship between kinetic energy and (1) the runout distance into and through the dwelling and (2) the impacted area within the dwelling. The results have been quantified and are presented as a damage proportion, which is defined as the proportion of the area affected by an individual rock block inside the dwelling divided by the total area of the dwelling. These data provide a fundamental input for rockfall risk analysis and will allow the losses from rockfall impacts to be better constrained.     

Statistical approach to earthquake-induced landslide susceptibility

Susceptibility analysis for predicting earthquake-induced landslides has most frequently been done using deterministic methods; multivariate statistical methods have not previously been applied. In this study, however, we introduce a statistical methodology that uses the intensity of earthquake shaking as a landslide triggering factor. This methodology is applied in a study of shallow earthquake-induced landslides in central western Taiwan. The results show that we can accurately interpret landslide distribution in the study area and predict the occurrence of landslides in neighboring regions. This susceptibility model is capable of predicting shallow landslides induced during an earthquake scenario with similar range of ground shaking, without requiring the use of geotechnical, groundwater or failure depth data.     

The Behaviour of a Man-Made Island During the Great Hanshin Earthquake,Japan

This paper describes the behaviour of Port Island in Kobe city during and after the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 17 January 1995. The island is near the city centre and was constructed on the soft seabed in Kobe Port. A vertical array of four seismometers and pore water pressure sensors recorded the response of the ground during and after the earthquake. This study shows how the stiffness of the ground dropped and recovered during and after the earthquake.     

四川汶川Ms 8.0地震地表破裂构造初步调查与发震背景分析

5月16-24日对川西汶川大地震震中区的发震断裂地带进行的实地考察和初步测量,获得了宝贵的地表变形和同震位移最数据资料,证实汶川地震属于逆冲断裂型地震,主破裂沿映秀-北川断裂带发育,前山地区滑灌县-安县断裂也有地表破裂,同震位移量在3~5m.汶川地震产牛的地表破裂构造和运动性质显示明显分段特性,映秀-北川段以挤压逆冲为主,而北川以北段则伴有显著的右旋走滑分量.     

The mechanism of hindering occupants’ evacuation from seismic responses of building

Natural Hazards - Pedestrian evacuation from buildings during an earthquake needs to consider human behavior and building shaking. This study sets up an indoor evacuation model based on the social...     

探地雷达在振动台斜坡模型震裂变形探测中的应用

5,12, 汶川大地震造成了大量山体震裂变形, 形成众多次生潜在灾害。地震前后山体震裂变形的发展演化规律是防治滑坡的关键。振动台试验是实验室模拟地震的重要手段, 可以重现边坡在地震作用下的变形破坏过程, 探地雷达是利用高频电磁波反射探测目的体及地质结构的物探方法, 可用于查明滑动面的位置。本文采用室内小型振动台模拟实验, 通过输入相同加速度, 不同频率正弦波, 研究边坡的动力加速度响应特征。利用LTD-2100探地雷达主机, GC900MHz屏蔽型天线, 检测施加地震荷载前后坡体内部裂缝的发育状况, 结合解译成果, 对地震造成边坡内部裂缝的位置进行推断。实验结果表明探地雷达检测出的裂缝发育位置与边坡动力加速度响应特征相一致。探地雷达用于振动台模拟试验分析地震滑坡的成因和机理是可行的。     

强震的孕育规律与孕震模式

针对强震能否预测以及如何预测的科学难题,建立孕震断层多锁固段脆性破裂理论,发现强震孕育过程的指数规律：sf（k）=1.48ksc,其中sf（k）和sc分别为第k个锁固体断裂点与第一个锁固段膨胀起点对应的累加Be-nioff应变,可以利用锁固段在其变形膨胀点处开始发生的震群事件（加速性地震活动前兆）预测未来大震,并给出了强震四要素相关预测方法。通过对诸多历史强震（如邢台地震、海城地震、汶川地震、玉树地震等）的回溯性检验分析表明：强震可以预测,且其孕震过程都遵循着上述简单的共性力学规律。在此基础上,归纳出4种典型强震的孕震模式,即大震震级呈＂大—小—大＂型,大震震级呈连续上升型,锁固段快速连续破裂型与标准型。此外,根据相关强震预测理论方法,对有关抗震救灾未来研究的方向提出如下建议：建议加强活动断裂位置精确定位、性质判定的地震地质研究,并开展孕震区锁固段（闭锁区域）判识的地质与地球物理研究等。     

Secondary geological hazard analysis in Beichuan after the Wenchuan earthquake and recommendations for reconstruction

The Wenchuan earthquake, also known as 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, occurred along the Longmenshan fault zone on 12 May 2008 at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC). It caused serious damage to structures in the region. Beichuan is a town which is within these severely damaged areas. According to the earthquake intensity distribution map of 2008 Wenchuan earthquake officially released by the China Earthquake Administration, the earthquake intensity in Beichuan was XI on the China seismic intensity scale. As the earthquake occurred in a mountainous area, there were thousands of landslides, rockfalls, debris flows, and surface ruptures triggered by the earthquake over a broad area. These secondary geological hazards substantially increased the human, social and economic impact of the earthquake. This paper presents a post-earthquake analysis on the secondary geological hazards in Beichuan. The risk analyses associated with construction of the National Earthquake Memorial Museum in Beichuan are assessed and recommendations on risk mitigations for the mass reconstruction over the ruins are also provided based on this field study.     

汶川地震滑坡与地震参数及地质地貌因素之间的相关关系

在对汶川地震诱发的典型滑坡进行野外调查和相关资料收集、分析和整理的基础上,对汶川地震滑坡与地震参数及坡度、岩土体特性等地质地貌因素之间的相关关系进行了统计分析。结果表明: (1)汶川地震滑坡主要发生在Ⅶ～Ⅺ烈度区, Ⅵ度及以下烈度区中发生的滑坡较少; (2)汶川地震滑坡主要发生在距震中300km的范围内,且距震中200km的范围内滑坡分布最为集中; (3)汶川地震滑坡的易发斜坡坡度为30～50,其中30～40是汶川地震滑坡发育最为敏感的坡度; (4)汶川地震滑坡主要发生在600～1500m的高程范围内,在600～1000m高程范围内的中低山和丘陵区滑坡分布最为集中; (5)砂泥岩、板岩、片岩、千枚岩等软岩类和土质类岩性是汶川地震滑坡的易发岩性,其次是软硬岩组合类,在统计的47个典型滑坡中,花岗岩、碳酸盐岩等硬岩类中发生的滑坡最少,而且由汶川地震直接导致复活的老滑坡也比较少。     

Investigation of the cracking of CFRD face plates

The primary goal of this study was to examine the cracking behavior of the face plate of a CFRD over its life cycle. Analyses of the construction stage, impounding, long-term deformation and earthquake loading were conducted in sequential phases using a 2-D plane-strain model with the appropriate nonlinear constitutive relationships for the dam constituents. The state of stress and the cracking behavior of the plate were found to be substantially different in the short and long term. Earthquake loading appears to be a critical load condition for the face plate; cracking increased significantly after ground shaking.     

Japan's Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

The magnitude 9.0 Tohoku or Sendai Earthquake ( Fig. 1 ) struck just off the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan on 11 March 2011 making it the fourth largest earthquake to be recorded since 1900, and the largest Japanese earthquake since modern seismometers were developed 130 years ago. Despite the earthquake being much more powerful than had been expected from the subduction zone east of Honshu, the earthquake preparedness of Japan resulted in relatively little earthquake damage—despite the protracted shaking with ground accelerations up to three times that of gravity. However, it was the resulting 10–15 metre high tsunami waves that wreaked havoc along the coastal plain, resulting in a death toll in the tens of thousands and an on‐going drama at the Fukushima I nuclear power plant. Modern seismology has its origins in the analyses of the 1906 San Francisco and 1923 Great Kanto earthquakes. The 2011 Tohoku (or ‘northeast’) earthquake looks set to similarly significantly advance our understanding of earthquakes and tsunamis due to the unprecedented volume of seismic, GPS, tide gauge and video data available. There is much information to be gained on how large earthquakes rupture, how buildings behave under prolonged severe shaking and how tsunamis propagate.

Figure 1 Open in figure viewer PowerPoint Tohoku earthquake global displacement wavefield from IRIS. http://www.iris.edu/hq/files/iris_news/images/Sendai_RS.jpg     

Numerical simulation of the seismic response of the Zipingpu concrete face rockfill dam during the Wenchuan earthquake based on a generalized plasticity model

The strong ground motion of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China caused considerable damage to the Zipingpu concrete face rockfill dam (CFRD). The maximum crest settlement was approximately 1.0 m, and compressive failure and joint dislocations were observed in the face slabs. This damage has made it necessary to understand the damage pattern and safety of high CFRDs subjected to strong earthquake shaking, and the response of the Zipingpu CFRD during the Wenchuan earthquake can be used as a benchmark for this purpose. In this study, a 3D dynamic procedure was employed to simulate the dynamic responses of the Zipingpu CFRD. The rockfill materials were described using a generalized plasticity model, while the interfaces between the face slabs and cushions were modeled using zero-thickness interface elements that follow a perfect elasto-plastic stress–strain model in the tangential direction using Coulomb’s friction law. Dam deformation, face-slab stress, and face joint dislocations were simulated, and the results were compared with the field measurements. Using the generalized plastic model, the residual deformation of the dam during the earthquake could be directly obtained without being complemented by separate, semi-empirical procedures. The rockfill materials shrank to the center of the valley due to the strong shaking, causing crushing damage in the zone of the slabs. The dislocation of construction joints was also duplicated by the numerical procedure. The results of this study indicate that a 3D finite element procedure based on a generalized plasticity model can be used to evaluate the dynamic responses of CFRDs during strong earthquakes.     

5.12汶川大地震诱发大型崩滑灾害动力特征初探

5.12汶川大地震发生于地质环境条件异常脆弱的龙门山地区,加上地震震级高、释放能量大,持续时间长等特点,汶川地震不仅直接诱发了数以万计的崩滑地质灾害,且表现出非常独特的动力学特征。在对汶川地震灾区崩滑灾害进行大量调查的基础上,结合建构筑物和斜坡岩体在地震过程中的变形破坏特点,本文从地震动力学和斜坡变形破坏成因机理的角度,揭示了汶川地震诱发的大型崩滑灾害具有震裂溃屈、临空抛射和碎屑流化等独特的动力学特征,为强震诱发地质灾害成因机理研究提供了新的认识。