Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Earthquake hazard assessment in the Momase region of Papua New Guinea

  • Published:
Spatial Information Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Tectonism induced Tsunami, fire, landslide along with the tremor-triggered-liquefaction are the common hazards experienced worldwide. Such hazards often lead to collapse of built-up infrastructures like roads, bridges, buildings apart from inflicting heavy toll on human life and properties. Momase region of Papua New Guinea is one such vulnerable stretch where the appropriate planning is paramount in safeguarding the life and infrastructures. The study sought evaluation and assessments of the level of vulnerability to earthquakes in Momase region. The output can be used as a tool to assist in appropriate site selection that will minimize the earthquake damage risk and also to assist in better and appropriate future construction design or planning at a site. For the present study, application potentials of GIS and remote sensing are utilized to evaluate and assess possible earthquake hazard in the study region. The influence of soil and geology as the media responsible for aggravating or mollifying earthquake waves are underlined as input. These are the media that influence ferocity of shaking intensity leading to the destructions during an earthquake episode. Therefore, the site-soil geology and geomorphology are assessed and integrated within GIS environment coupled with seismicity data layers to evaluate and prepare liquefaction potential zones, followed by earthquake hazard zonation of the study area. Multi-criteria evaluation with analytical hierarchy process are adopted for this study. The technology involves preparing and assessing several contributing factors (thematic layers) that are assigned weightage and rankings, and finally normalizing the assigned weights and ranking. The spatial analysis tool in ArcGIS 10, the raster calculator, reclassify and weightage overlay tools were mainly employed in the study. The final output of LPZ and earthquake hazard zones were reclassified to ‘very high’, ‘high’, ‘moderate’, ‘low’ and ‘very low’ to indicate levels of hazard within a study region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gupta, R. P. (2003). Remote sensing in geology. Berlin: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Hugh, D. (1998). Tsunami PNG 1998, National Library of Papua New Guinea, ISBN 9980-85-262-3, Graphos Art Limited, Port Moresby, Retrieve form http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/JB_DM464_PNG_1998_Tsunami.pd.

  3. Stanaway, R. (2008). A dynamic datum for PNG—improving PNG94. 42nd association of surveyors PNG congress, Port Moresby, 9th–12th July 2008.

  4. Willige, T. B., & Wenzel, H. (2012). Remote sensing and GIS contribution to earthquake disaster preparedness in Hungary (Vol. 13355). Berlin: Berlin University of Technology (TU Berlin), Institute of Applied Geosciences.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Trinh, T. P. (2009). Remote sensing and GIS for the study of natural hazards in Vietnam. Nghiado: Institute of Geological Sciences, National Centre for Natural Sciences and Technology of Vietnam Vien Dia Chat.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Buri, E. (2013) Application of GIS for seismic observation in PNG, Portmorseby Geophysical Observation Geohazard Division, Department of mineral policy and and geohazard management. Retrieve from: http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/Pacific_GIS_RS_20131119_Eric_Fiji.pdf.

  7. Willige, T. B. (2010). Detection of local site conditions influencing earthquake shaking and secondary effects in Southwest—Haiti Usingremote sensing and GIS method. Berlin: TU Berlin. Institute of Applied Geosciences.

    Google Scholar 

  8. UPSeis. (2016). What are earthquake hazard? An educational site for budding seismologist. http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/.

  9. Pal, I., Nath, S. K., Shukla, K., Pal, D. K., Raj, A., Thingbaijam, K. K. S., Bansal, B. K. (2007). Earthquake hazard zonation of Sikkim Himalaya using a GIS platform. Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007. Retrieve through mail from Indrajit Pal. Pdf format.

  10. Mohanty, W., Walling, M. Y., Nath, S. K., Pal, I. (2006). First order seismic microzonation of Delhi, India using geographical information system (GIS), Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721 302, India.

  11. City of Rancho Cordova. (2006). Rancho Cordova Interim General Plan. Draft environment impact report, soil and geology Revised March 4, 2006, California.

  12. Sharma, M. H., & Solaki, C. H. (2013). Liquefaction susceptibility criteria for zonation, international journal of engineering and technical research, 1(7). Retrieve from https://www.erpublication.org/admin/vol_issue1/upload%20Image/IJETR011737.pdf.

  13. Habibullah, B., Pokhrel, R., Kuwano, M. J., & Tachibana, S. (2012). GIS-based soil liquefaction hazard zonation due to earthquake using geotechnical data. Saitama: Geosphere Research Institute, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Saitama University, Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Bachhuber, J. L, Hengesh, J. V, & Sundermann, S. T. (2008). Liquefaction susceptibility of the bayamon and san juan quadrangles, puerto rico. U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Award 03HQGR0107.

  15. Heidari, S. A., Sakhi, M. A., Mohammadi, M., & Soltani, Z. (2014). Zonation for soil liquefaction potential assesment in Babol city, Iran (Vol. 19). University of academic-applied Iran Frinco.

  16. Pearce, J. T., & Baldwin, J. N. (2008). Liquefaction susceptibility and probabilistic liquefaction potential hazard mapping, st. Louis, Missouri and Illinois. William Lettis & Associates, Inc., 1777 Botelho Drive, Suite 262, Walnut Creek CA 94596. Url: www.lettis.com.

  17. The World Bank. (2016). Reducing the risk of disasters and climate variability in the Pacific Islands. The Papua New Guinea Country Assessment, East Asia and Pacific Region, the world bank, 1818 H St. NW, Washington, DC. 20433. Retrieve from http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/318001468099588504/pdf/532060WP0P11201BLIC10PNG1ASSESSMENT.pdf.

  18. National Geography Society. (2016). Landforms. Retrieve from http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/landform/.

  19. Loffler, E. (1974). Geomorphological map of Papua New Guinea, scale 1:1000000, CSIRO Land research series, no 33.

  20. Hamilton, W. (1979). Tectonics of the Indonesian Region (p. 345). Washington, DC: US Gov. Print. Off.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Wallace, L. M., Stevens, C., Silver, E., McCaffrey, R., Loratung, W., Hasiata, S., Stanaway, R., Curley, R., Rosa, R., & Taugaloidi, J. (2004). GPS and seismological constraints on active tectonics and arc-continent collision in Papua New Guinea: Implications for mechanics of microplate rotations in a plate boundary zone. Journal of Geophysical Research, 109, B05404. doi:10.1029/2003JB002481.

  22. Ghasemi, H., McKee, C., Leonard, M., et al. (2016). Probabilistic seismic hazard map of Papua New Guinea. Natural Hazards, 81, 1003–1025. doi:10.1007/s11069-015-2117-8.

  23. Koulali, A., Tregoning, P., McClusky, S., Stanaway, R., Wallace, L., & Lister, G. (2015). New Insights into the present-day kinematics of the central and western Papua New Guinea from GPS. Geographical Journal International. Retrieve from http://rses.anu.edu.au/geodynamics/tregoning/57.pdf.

  24. Baldwin, S. L., Fitzgerald, P. G., & Webb, L. E. (2012). Tectonic of The New Guinea Region. Department of earth science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244. Retrieve from http://www.uvm.edu/~lewebb/papers/Baldwin%20et%20al%202012%20New%20Guinea.pdf.

  25. Sheppard, S., & Cranfield, L. C. (2012). Geological framework and mineralization of Papua New Guinea—an update: Mineral Resources Authority, Papua New Guinea, p. 65.

  26. Geobook. (2009). The UPNG geobook set—an interactive mapping atlas for each Province of PNG, Remote Sensing Centre, PO Box 320. Papua New Guinea: Universityof PNG, NCD.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Sekac, T., Jana, S. K., Pal, I., & Pal, D. K. (2016). GIS based multi-criteria evaluation in earthquake hazard micro-zonation—a case study of Madang and Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, International Journal of advanced Engineering Research and Science. ISSN 2349-6495 (P) 2456-1908 (O) (Vol. 3(8), pp. 95–104) .https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijaers.3.8.2.

  28. Sekac, T., Jana, S. K., Pal, I., & Pal, D. K. (2016). A GIS based approach into delineating liquefaction susceptible zones through assessment of site-soil-geology—a case study of Madang and Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea, International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, ISSN (Online): 2319–8753 (Vol. 5(5), May 2016).

  29. Andrew, M. (2005). Estimating the influence of sediments on ground shaking. Geosciences Australia. http://www.ga.gov.au/ausgeonews/ausgeonews200606/sediments.jsp.

  30. Saaty, T. L. (1977). The analytic hierarchy process: Planning, priority setting, and resource allocation (1st ed., Vol. 17). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Saaty, T. L. (1980). The analytic hierarchy process: Planning, priority setting, and resource allocation (2nd ed., Vol. 18). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Saaty, T. L. (1992). Decision making for leaders (p. 19). Pittsburgh: RWS Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Saaty, T. L. (2008). Decision making with the analytic hierarchy process. International Journal of Services Sciences, 1(1), 83–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Machiwal, D., Jha, M. K., & Mal, B. C. (2011). Assessment of groundwater potential in a semi-arid region of India using remote sensing. GIS and MCDM Techniques, Water Resources Management, 25(5), 1359–1386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Forman, E. H., & Selly, M. A. (2001). Decision by objective and how to convince others that you are right. Singapore: World Scientific.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  36. Green, R. A., Maurer, B. W., Bradley, B. A., Wotherspoon, L. W., & Cubrinovski, M. (2013). Implications from liquefaction observations in New Zealand for interpreting paleoliquefaction data in the central eastern united states (ceus). U.S. Geological Society Final Technical ReportCounty of San Diego low impact development handbook (2009). Geotechnical consideration.

  37. Country of San Diego Low Impact Development Handbook (2009). Geotechnical Consideration.

  38. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). (1975). Soil taxonomy: A basic system of soil classification for making and interpreting soil surveys. Washington, DC: US Govt. Printer.

    Google Scholar 

  39. U.S Army Corps of Engineers. (1992). Draft environmental impact staement. Superconducting magnetic energy storage-engineering test model. Chicago: Northwestern University.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Organization of American State. (1991). Primer on Natural Hazard Management in Integrated Regional Development Planning. Department of Regional Development and Environment Executive Secretariat for Economic and Social Affairs Organization of American States With support from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance United States Agency for International Development Washington, DC.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surveying and Land Studies, Papua New Guinea University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea

    Tingneyuc Sekac, Sujoy Kumar Jana & Dilip Kumar Pal

  2. Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management (DPMM), Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand

    Indrajit Pal

Authors
  1. Tingneyuc Sekac
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sujoy Kumar Jana
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Indrajit Pal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dilip Kumar Pal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sujoy Kumar Jana.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sekac, T., Jana, S.K., Pal, I. et al. Earthquake hazard assessment in the Momase region of Papua New Guinea. Spat. Inf. Res. 24, 617–637 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41324-016-0058-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41324-016-0058-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation