Engineering Geology, 10(1976): 307--313 307

© Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands

CONTINUED SEISMIC ACTIVITY AT THE K O Y N A RESERVOIR SITE,

INDIA l

HARSH K. GUPTA 2 and JIM COMBS

The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080 (U.S.A.)
(Received June 16, 1976)

ABSTRACT

Gupta, H.K. and Combs, J., 1976. Continued seismic activity at the Koyna reservoir site,
India. In: W.G. Milne (Editor), Induced Seismicity. Eng. Geol., 10(2--4): 307--313.

Following the impounding of the Shivaji Sager Lake in 1962, tremors became
prevalent in the Koyna region, considered previously to be aseismic. During ensuing years
the tremor frequency appears to have been dependent on the rate of increase o f water
level, maximum water level reached, and the period for which high levels were retained.
This culminated in a burst of seismic activity from September 1967 to January 1968
following the record water levels in the reservoir and included the earthquake of
September 13, 1967 with magnitude 5.5 and the damaging December 10, 1967 earth-
quake of magnitude 6.0. During the next five years water levels were kept low and no
significant earthquakes occurred subsequent to the October 29, 1968 earthquake of
magnitude 5.
The reservoir was filled to maximum capacity during September 1973 and this was
followed by a conspicuous increase in seismic activity which included an earthquake of
magnitude 5.1 on October 17, 1973. However, seismic activity during 1973 was much
less severe than that of 1967. This relative decrease in seismicity may indicate that (a) the
"threshhold level" for relatively large magnitude earthquakes had increased; (b) a major
portion of the accumulated strains had been released; and/or (c) the importance of the longer
period of high loading in 1967. Similar observations have been made at other seismically
active reservoir sites.

INTRODUCTION

Shivaji Sagar Lake formed by the Koyna Dam in the Peninsular Shield of
India is among the best known examples of man-made reservoir-induced
seismicity (Gupta et al., 1969; Guha et al., 1970; Roth~, 1973). Before the
impounding of the reservoir in 1962, no tremors had been reported for the
region. Examination of records from a Benioff seismometer, which operated
continuously from 1950 at the Poona seismological observatory at a distance

i Contribution No. 303 Program in Geosciences, The University of Texas at Dallas,

Richardson, Texas.
: On leave of absence from the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad,
India.
308

of 115 km north of the Koyna Dam, revealed no significant tremors which

could correspond to the reservoir area. Inhabitants in villages within 50 km
of the reservoir area, when interviewed, denied experiencing by sounds
tremors prior to 1962. The project personnel and engineers engaged in the
construction of the dam also reported no earthquake occurrence. With the
filling of the reservoir in 1962, earth tremors accompanied by sounds
similar to blasting became prevalent. The frequency and intensity of the
earthquakes, particularly near the dam site,, increased considerably from
mid-1963.

SEISMIC STATIONS

To monitor seismicity in the Koyna region, an observatory was set up in

the gallery of the Koyna Dam in late 1963. Three additional observatories
equipped with Wood-Anderson seismometers were set up at Satara, Govalkot
and Mahabaleshwar during 1964, with Benioff seismometers added in January
1965. Three more seismic stations were established in this region (Koyna
Dam-down stream, Pophli and Alore). Both Koyna Dam stations also had
accelerographs and tiltgraphs. By 1969, earthquakes in the region were being
monitored by a network of seven seismic stations. The location of this seven
station seismic array is shown in Fig.l,a. Epicenters determined by Guha et al.
(1974) for the period December 1967 to December 1971 are presented in
Fig.l,b.

75°30'E 73°45 ' 75°30'E 73°45 '

r

MAHABALESHWAR /
/
/
/
/
I ~51

SATARA/,
17°45'N
-

• , ,. \.(
I 7°30 ' 17°30'N
. . . . .
• , °:., ,
• ... .... - . ~ : : . : .
. :,

17°3 • - 17°50 '

ALOR~ q
' ° • "'J'~w ° }
s" '~° • •" ..itz. .
• :
POPHL~ .... :." "
17°15'
_• .. .',....... ".~.~.'?:. : . % . ' " , . . 17°15 .

"t ~ i , : % • • •

17°H 17°15 '

• SEISMOGRAPH i
STATION
o, , 20 i o Lp
Krn ,:~ ,&
1
7 3 ° 30' 73°45 ' 7-3° 30' 73°45 '
(a) (b)

Fig. 1. (a) Seismic stations in the K o y n a region; (b) epicenters located by Guha et al.
( 1 9 7 4 ) in the K o y n a region for the period D e c e m b e r 1 9 6 7 to D e c e m b e r 1 9 7 1 .
 309

RESERVOIR LEVEL AND TREMOR FREQUENCY

From studies of reservoir levels and earthquake frequency at several dam

sites, it has been inferred (Gupta et al., 1972) that in addition to the
tectonic setting and geologic conditions, the tremor frequency depends on
the rate of increase of water level, the maximum water level reached, and the
duration for which high water levels are retained. In the case of the earth-
quakes associated with the Koyna Dam, Gupta et al. {1969) have examined
the reservoir level and earthquake-frequency data for five rainy seasons
from 1963 to 1967. Out of these 5-years data, they pointed out two conspicuous
years of enhanced seismic activity. During August 1967 to December 1967,
highest reservoir levels for the longest period of time were retained (Fig.2),
corresponding with the maximum seismic activity which included the
magnitude-5.5 earthquake of September 13, 1967, and the destructive
December 10, 1967 earthquake of magnitude 6.0. The next most conspicuous
seismic activity occurred during November 1965, a period following the
rainy season when the highest water level was reached, although the water
retention period was shorter than that which corresponded to the 1967
earthquake activity. The slow rate of loading and the comparatively lower
reservoir levels attained following the rainy seasons in 1964 and 1966 are
characterized by relatively less conspicuous seismic activities with larger
time lags. In general, the seismic activity seems to follow the reservoir loading
with distinct time lags.
Following the damaging earthquake of December 10, 1967, and due to
the possible cause and effect relationship between the high water levels and

~EE200
~_vz~i
300f0O.0~ t~./~INFLOW
HYDROGRAPH-SAGAR~_LAKE
SHIVAJI.~ i~~1.~ l
1963 ~ ,964 -4.- ,965 ~ ,966 --A.- ,967
7001 RESERVOIR WATER LEVELS-SHIVAJI SAGAR LAKE
[

~-v600
I
)-co 4 O
~- ,963 ~
WEEKLY
196,~
FREQUENCY
OFEARTH
~
TREMORS tgs5 ~ ~966 --4-- ~967

ZL,)
wO
DI 20
003
L~J
n.
1965 --~ 1964 ~ 19~5 ~ less -,~ 1967
IJ IJ IAIS!oINIDIJ rFIMIAIMIJ IJ IA!S!OIN IDIJ IFrMrAIMIJ IJ IA]S IOrNIDI,JIFIMIAIMIJ IJ IAISIOINIDIJ IFLMIAIM/J IJ IA ISIOINID

Fig.2. Inflow hydrograph, reservoir water levels and weekly tremor frequency at the
Koyna reservoir site.
310

the earthquake frequency and intensity (Gupta et al., 1969), the reservoir
water levels at the Koyna Dam were kept low in subsequent years. It is
noticeable that no significant earthquakes occurred in the region since the
magnitude-5.0 earthquake of October 29, 1968. However, in the absence of
pronounced seismic activity during the preceeding five years, the reservoir
was filled to capacity in September 1973 after the heavy rainy season of
that year. A conspicuous increase in seismic activity was evident, including
an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 on October 17, 1973 (Fig.3).
Earthquakes occurring in the Koyna region of magnitude i> 4.0 for a
period of 6 years, since 1969, are presented in Table I. An examination of
WEEKLY FREQUENCY OF EARTH TREMORS

KOYNA 1975 - 1 9 7 4

680- u3
",/

b3
_

gso
~50
Water Level : 62
660- f
g -
O30
~i 640-
d

I-- 6 2 0 -

~ ol
JAN I FEB I MAR I APR I MAY l JUNE I JULY ] AUG I SEPT I O C T I NOV I DEC ] JAN

Fig.3. Reservoir water levels and weekly tremor frequency at the Koyna reservoir site
during 1973--74.

TABLE I

Koyna events of magnitude /> 4 since 1969 (adapted from Gupta and Rastogi, 1974)

Date Magnitude Date Magnitude

January 21, 1969 4.1 August 10, 1971 4.3
February 13, 1969 4.2 May 1, 1972 4.2
March 7, 1969 4.4 May 11, 1972 4.5
June 3, 1969 4.2 November 11, 1972 4.1
June 27, 1969 4.5 April 19, 1973 4.1
July 22, 1969 4.0 October 17, 1973 4.0
November 3, 1969 4.1 October 17, 1973 4.1
November 4, 1969 4.2 October 17, 1973 5.1
April 16, 1970 4.0 October 24, 1973 4.6
May 27, 1970 4.8 November 11, 1973 4.6
June 8, 1970 4.1 February 17, 1974 4.5
June 17, 1970 4.1 April 28, 1974 4.0
September 21, 1970 4.0 May 29, 1974 4.2
September 25, 1970 4.6 July 29, 1974 4.8
September 26, 1970 4.6 August 7, 1974 4.1
January 23, 1971 4.2 August 28, 1974 4.5
February 14, 1971 4.0 November 11, 1974 4.3
August 10, 1971 4.0
 311

this table clearly indicates a decreasing trend in seismic activity from 1969
until 1973. The following is the yearly cumulative number of earthquakes
of magnitude ~> 4.0: eight occurred during 1969; seven in 1970; four in
1971; and three in 1972. During 1973, only one earthquake of magnitude
~>4.0 (a tremor of magnitude 4.1 on April 19} had occurred before the
conspicuous enhancement of seismic activity which followed the high water
levels reached during August of that year. The increase in seismic activity is
even more apparent when the earthquake-frequency statistics for the rainy
season cycle (June to May) are examined (Table II). The above analysis
through 1974 supports the persistent relationship that exists between the
reservoir level, duration of high levels and tremor frequency at the Koyna
reservoir site, pointed out earlier by Gupta et al., (1969).

TABLE II

Annual frequency of earthquakes of magnitude /> 4.0 in the Koyna region since 1969

No. of earthquakes Rainy season cycle No. of earthquakes

Year of magnitude/> 4.0 (June to May) of magnitude/> 4.0

1969 8 1969--70 7
1970 7 1970--71 7
1971 4 1971--72 4
1972 3 1972--73 2
1973 6 1973--74 8
1974 7

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Although higher water levels at the Koyna Dam were reached during
September 1973 compared to those of October 1967, the seismic activity
during 1973--74 was much less severe than that of 1967. The reservoir
levels and tremor frequency for 1967 are shown in Fig.4 at a scale similar to
that for 1973--74 adopted in Fig.3 to make this comparison easier. In 1967
up to 380 weekly tremors could be identified and located and an earthquake
of magnitude 6 occurred. In 1973, however, the frequency of weekly tremors
increased to only 100 and the largest earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1.
One or more of the following cause/effect relationships could be responsible
for the difference in the levels of seismic activity.

Duration of high reservoir levels

During 1967, the highest reservoir level reached was 657 m on October 4,
and the water levels were retained above the 654 m mark for 132 days. In
comparison, during 1973 the highest water level reached was 658 m on
September 27; however, the water level was retained above the 654 m
mark for only 98 days.
312

WEEKLY FREQUENCY OF EARTH TREMORS

KOYNA 1967 380

O3
680" 'Y" 178 J
hl

660- u_ 4
,,-fi, 0 //r ~ _ /

640- i : r

"'
~,ol [i i1 i ~ / " 1
I-- 6 2 0 - Ixl
<[

JAN FEB p MAR APR p MAY

Fig.4. R e s e r v o i r w a t e r levels a n d w e e k l y t r e m o r f r e q u e n c y at t h e K o y n a reservoir site

d u r i n g 1967.

Threshold stress levels

It is likely that the threshold stress level for the initiation of a magnitude-
6 earthquake in the K o y n a region had increased. Snow (1972) has observed
that the onset of earthquakes occurs at a higher threshold at man-made
reservoir sites with the passage of time. For example, at Kremasta Dam in
Greece, the seismic activity commenced during 1966 when the level reached
an elevation of 245 m, from a tail-water elevation of 140 m. The m a x i m u m
seismic activity occurred when the elevation was about 270 m. In ensuing
years, the tremor frequency did not increase when the water elevation was
below the 270 m level. During June 1971, no shocks occurred when the
water level reached 267 m; however, shocks were felt (several per week)
when the level rose to 270 m and above.

Release of accumulated strains

It is generally accepted that reservoirs themselves are not responsible for

generating the strains released by the earthquakes in the vicinity of the
reservoir. The loading of these man-made reservoirs somehow triggers the
nearly critically stressed regions though the triggering mechanism m a y vary
from one region to another. It has also been observed that with the passage
of time, the accumulated strains are released and the local seismicity decreases.
Lake Mead in the United States is a classic example. Although tremors
continue to be recorded (Lee and Matamoros, 1975), no earthquake of
magnitude 5 has occurred since 1939 in spite of the fact that higher reservoir
water levels occurred during the period 1939 through 1974.
A major portion of the accumulated strains in the region of the K o y n a
Dam has probably already been released. However, it would be most
interesting to examine the changes in tremor frequency at the K o y n a Dam
 313

site as a function of the future rainy seasons, especially when the reservoir
is filled to maximum capacity as during 1973.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are grateful to the Irrigation and Power Department, Government of

Maharashtra, India for providing necessary data. We express our thanks to
Jean Davidson, Fumiko Goss and Ronald D. Goss for their assistance in
preparing the manuscript.

REFERENCES

Guha, S.K., Gosavi, P.D., Varma, M.M., Agarwal, S.P., Padale, J.G. and Marwadi, S.C.,
1970. Recent seismic disturbances in the Shivajisagar Lake area of the Koyna Hydro-
electric Project, Maharashta, India, 2, Rep. C.W.P.R.S., 25 pp.
Guha, S.K., Gosavi, P.D., Agarwal, B.N.P., Padale, J.G. and Marwadi, S.C., 1974. Case
histories of some artificial crustal disturbances. In: W.R. Judd (Editor), Seismic Effects
of Reservoir Impounding--Eng. Geol., 8 : 59--77.
Gupta, H.K., Narain, H., Rastogi, B.K. and Mohan, I., 1969. A study of the Koyna earth-
quake of December 10, 1967. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 59:1149--1162.
Gupta, H.K. and Rastogi, B.K., 1974. Will another damaging earthquake occur in Koyna?
Nature, 248:215--216.
Gupta, H.K. and Rastogi, B.K., 1975. Dams and Earthquakes. Elsevier, Amsterdam,
227 pp.
Gupta, H.K., Rastogi, B.K. and Narain, H., 1972. Common features of the reservoir-
associated seismic activities. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 62:481--492.
Lee, W.H.K. and Matamoros, E.E., 1975. Catalog of earthquakes in the Lake Mead area,
Nevada--Arizona for the period July 10, 1972 to December 6, 1973. U.S. Geol. Surv.
Menlo Park, Calif. Open-File Rep., 7 5 - - 1 5 : 3 1 pp.
Roth6, J.P., 1973. Man-made lakes: their problems and environmental effects--a geo-
physics report. In: W.C. Ackermann, G.F. White and E.B. Worthington (Editors),
Geophysical Monograph, 17. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.,
pp.441--454.
Snow, D.T., 1972, Geodynamics of seismic reservoirs. Proc. Syrup. Percolation Fissured
Rocks. Dtsch. Ges. Erd. Grundbau, Stuttgart, T2-J: 1--19.