The long and winding road from earthquakes to damage

The damage during earthquakes is caused by many factors depending on source , site and structural characteristics. The earthquake source mechanism and response of local site conditions are complex and may vary significantly fr om one earthquake to the other and from one site to the other. These diffic ulties and ambiguities in forecasting the seismic hazard in terms of expect ed earthquake characteristics affecting the man-made environment are discus sed and possible alternative approaches are suggested. (C) 2001 Published b y Elsevier Science Ltd.