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Deterministic seismic hazard assessment of a long mountainous road tunnel: a case study of Lowari Tunnel, Pakistan

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Abstract

This study aimed to perform a comprehensive Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment (DSHA) to quantify the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) values for the Lowari Tunnel region. Twelve thrust faults in the vicinity of the tunnel were evaluated using an updated earthquake catalog from 25AD to 2022. The PGA values were calculated for each thrust fault and compared with the designed value of 0.5 g from the feasibility stage of the tunnel. The study demonstrated that all twelve thrust faults exhibited PGA values below 0.5 g, indicating a low-to-moderate seismic hazard in the region. The maximum PGA value obtained in this study was 0.4 g, which is well below the maximum designed value, indicating that the tunnel is expected to withstand the ground motion values projected to result from high-magnitude earthquakes in the region. These findings hold significant importance as they provide crucial insights into assessing the long-term sustainability of the Lowari Tunnel, situated in one of the world's most seismically active zones.

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Data availability

Data sets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, 25130, Pakistan

    Jehanzeb Khan, Waqas Ahmed, Sarfraz Khan & Ihtisham Islam

  2. Department of Geology, University of Malakand, Chakdara, 18800, Dir (L), Pakistan

    Jehanzeb Khan

  3. University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan

    Muhammad Waseem

  4. Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan

    Syed Tanvir Shah

  5. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Haripur, Haripur, 22610, Pakistan

    Qasim ur Rehman

  6. Department of Geology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, Upper Dir, 18030, Pakistan

    Ihtisham Islam & Hammad Tariq Janjuhah

  7. Department of Historical Geology-Paleontology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, School of Earth Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, 15784, Athens, Greece

    George Kontakiotis

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  1. Jehanzeb Khan
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  2. Waqas Ahmed
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  3. Muhammad Waseem
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  4. Syed Tanvir Shah
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Contributions

Conceptualization, J.K, I.I, Q.R., M.W., W.A.; methodology, J.K, I.I, S.T.S, S.K, Q.R., M.W., W.A.; software, J.K, W.A, M.W, S.K, S.T.S, I.I, H.T.J, G.K.; validation, J.K, Q.R., M.W., W.A., I.I, H.T.J., G.K.; formal analysis, Q.R.; investigation, Q.R., M.W., W.A., I.I, H.T.J., G.K.; resources, M.W., W.A.; data curation, Q.R., M.W., W.A.; writing—original draft preparation, J.K, W.A.; writing—review and editing, J.K, S.K, Q.R., M.W., W.A.; I.I, H.T.J., G.K.; visualization, Q.R., M.W., W.A, I.I, H.T.J, G.K.; supervision, M.W., W.A. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Waqas Ahmed.

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Khan, J., Ahmed, W., Waseem, M. et al. Deterministic seismic hazard assessment of a long mountainous road tunnel: a case study of Lowari Tunnel, Pakistan. Environ Earth Sci 83, 303 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11625-y

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