A NEW EMPIRICAL RELATION FOR STRONG SEISMIC GROUND MOTION FOR THE HIMALAYAN REGION

Strong ground motion data from five earthquakes that occurred along th e Himalayan range have been taken to study the attenuation characteris tics of horizontal peak acceleration and velocity. Using these data, w e have found empirical relations for horizontal acceleration and veloc ity. These empirical relations for peak horizontal ground acceleration and velocity give good fit with the observed strong ground motion in the Uttarkashi earthquake of 20 October 1991. The attenuation relation s found in the present study will be useful in estimating the peak hor izontal ground acceleration and velocity of future earthquakes and wil l also be useful in designing earthquake-resistant structures in the H imalayan region.