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SEISMICITY IN
INDIA &
SEISMIC
ZONATION MAP SUBMITTED BY: -
Subhendu Pradhan
1st Yr. MSc Geology
Dept. of Geology, CUK
Gmail:- spradhan.geology@gmail.com
 SEISMISITY AND
SEISMOLOGY:-
• It moves the ground from side to
Love side in a horizontal plane but at
right angles to the direction of
Wave propagation.
• Like rolling ocean waves, Rayleigh
Rayleigh waves wave move both vertically
and horizontally in a vertical plane
wave pointed in the direction in which the
waves are travelling.
Earthquake shaking and damage is the result of three
basic types of elastic waves. Two of the three propagate
1 within a body of rock.
The faster of these body waves is called the primary or P
wave. Its motion is the same as that of a sound wave in that,
2
as it spreads out, it alternately pushes (compresses) and pulls
(dilates) the rock. These P waves are able to travel through
both solid rock and liquid material.
3 The slower wave through the body of rock is called the
secondary or S wave. S waves cannot propagate in
the liquid parts of the earth.
4
Third one is called a surface wave, reason being is that
its motion is restricted to near the ground surface.
PRACTICAL
DRILL
ESTIMATION
APPLICATION TO INTERNAL STRUCTURE 5

OF EARTH
1 2 3

STATE OF MATERIAL LAYERING OF INTERIOR SHADOW ZONES

SCALE OF
MEASUREMENT
6

1 RICHTER ->MAGNITUDE
2 MERCALLI ->INTENSITY
 SEISMIC ZONES OF INDIA 7

1 2
The major reason for the high
frequency and intensity of the
seismicity is that Indian plate is
driving into Asia at a rate of
approximately 47mm/yr.
Geographical statistics of India
show that almost 54% of land is
vulnerable to earthquakes.
Bureau of Indian Standards [IS-
1893 (Part- 1): 2002], based on the
past seismic history, grouped the
country into four seismic zones, viz.
Zone-II, III, -IV and –V.
Of these, Zone V is the most
seismically active region, while zone
II is the least.
Seismic Zone Intensity on MM scale
8
II (Low intensity zone)
III (Moderate intensity zone)
IV (Severe intensity zone)
V (Very severe intensity zone)

ZONE V:-
 Zone-5 covers the areas with highest risks zone
that suffer highest intensity.
 The IS code assign zone factor of 0.36 for zone
5. Structural designers use this factor for
earthquake resistant design of structures in
zone 5.
 It comprises of entire northeastern India, parts
of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttaranchal, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, parts of
north Bihar and Andaman Nicobar Islands, the
Western and Central Himalayas.
ZONE IV:-
ZONE III:-
 This zone is called as the High Damage Risk 9
 This zone is classified as the moderate Damage Risk
Zone.
Zone.
 The IS code assigns zone factor of 0.24 for zone
 IS code assign zone factors of 0.16 for zone 3.
4.
 Zone 3 comprises of Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep
 Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Island and remaining part of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat
Uttarakhand, Sikkim, the parts of Indo-gangetic
and West Bengal, parts of Punjab, Rajasthan,
plain (North Punjab, Chandigarh, Western Uttar
Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,
Pradesh, Terai, North Bengal, Sundarbans) and
Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, TamilNadu
the capital of country Delhi fall in zone 4.
and Karnataka.
 In Bihar the northern part of state like Raxaul,
Near the border of India and Nepal, is also in
zone 4.

ZONE II:-
 This zone is classified as Low Damage Risk Zone.
 The IS code assign zone factor 0.10 (maximum horizontal
acceleration that can be experienced by a structure in
this zone is 10% of gravitational acceleration).
 It covers remaining part of the country.
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PAST SEISMICITY RECORD 11

OF INDIA
 A number of significant earthquakes occurred in and
around India over the past century. Some of these
occurred in populated and urbanized areas and hence
caused great damage. Many went unnoticed, as they
occurred deep under the Earth’s surface or in relatively
un-inhabited places.
 Four Great earthquakes (M>8) occurred in last 53 years
from 1897 to 1950; the January 2001 Bhuj earthquake
(M7.7) is almost as large.
 1819 Cutch Earthquake produced an unprecedented
~3m high uplift of the ground over 100km (called Allah
Bund).
 The 1897 Assam Earthquake caused severe damage up
to 500km radial distances.
 Extensive liquefaction of the ground took place over a
length of 300km (called the Slump Belt) during 1934
Bihar-Nepal earthquake in which many structures went
afloat.
26TH JANUARY 2001, BHUJ,GUJARAT 12

DEATH:- 13,805
 FORT OF 13

SINDREH(SINDRI)
Rann of Kutch

1819 Kutch Earthquake, Death:- 1500

After water level decreased

26 th December 2004,Sumatra
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Death:- 10,750
Magnitude:- 9.3
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Q. At a record station ,if the P-wave arrives

at t=1.0sec and S-wave arrives at
t=6.0sec; assuming the velocity of P and
S-wave as 6km/s and 4km/sec
respectively, calculate epicenter distance
from the station.
Ans:- 60KM
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