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Observations of damage due to the Kashmir earthquake of October 8, 2005 and study of current seismic provisions for buildings in Pakistan

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Abstract

On October 8, 2005 an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 (M w) struck the Kashmir region of Pakistan causing widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure. This paper summarizes field observations of building damage made by the Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) after the event, where the performance of residential, commercial and government buildings was investigated. A study of the seismic design provisions currently in place in Pakistan is presented and compared with seismic provisions of EC8 (1998) and UBC (1997). Several problems are identified for the implementation of the Pakistan seismic code in its current form and recommendations are made for its improvement in order to be used for the reconstruction of affected areas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    T. Rossetto

  2. Risk Management Solutions Ltd, 30 Monument Street, London, EC3R 8NB, UK

    N. Peiris

Authors
  1. T. Rossetto
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  2. N. Peiris
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Correspondence to T. Rossetto.

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Rossetto, T., Peiris, N. Observations of damage due to the Kashmir earthquake of October 8, 2005 and study of current seismic provisions for buildings in Pakistan. Bull Earthquake Eng 7, 681–699 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-009-9118-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-009-9118-5

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