Evaluating the Applicability of Intensity Prediction Equations for Khash, 2013 Earthquake

The prime focus of the research work presented herein is to investigate the applicability of eight intensity prediction equations to the available dataset for Khash, 2013, earthquake. To this end, data obtained for the earthquake is utilized for comparison with the intensity estimates using the intensity prediction relationships. The data comprises of both subjective as well as instrumental observations. The subjective data used in this study includes a survey conducted in the affected regions, questionnaire surveys through posts, email and telephone and online surveys, while the instrumental data includes the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) values recorded through accelerograms. The information gathered from the subjective data is used to estimate the damage which helped in assigning appropriate Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI). Using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), the prediction equations are ranked for future use in the seismic hazard assessment procedures. The comparison with the observed intensity has shown that the equations developed for California and Himalaya are in better agreement than the equations developed for Eastern Northern America, Central Eastern United States, Craton and entire India.