Development of New Ground Motion Prediction Equation for the North and Central Himalayas Using Recorded Strong Motion Data

A new region-specific Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE) was developed for the North and Central Himalayas purely based on recorded strong motion data. The GMPE was generated using multiple-regression, considering ground acceleration, magnitude, and hypocentral distance. An updated larger dataset was used in the present study, making the new equation applicable to a larger magnitude range of 4.1 to 7.8 and distance range up to 1560 kms, thus overcoming a major limitation of currently available region-specific GMPEs. The new GMPE was validated and observed to predict ground acceleration more accurately with noticeably less residuals as compared to existing GMPEs.

Automated summary

A new region-specific Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE) was developed for the North and Central Himalayas based on recorded strong motion data. It was found to predict ground acceleration more accurately with noticeably less residuals compared to existing GMPEs, overcoming limitations of previous equations.