Site amplification in the Kathmandu Valley during the 2015 M7.6 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake

The 2015 M7.6 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal caused significant damage and loss of life, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley, due to site amplification effects that exceeded design levels set by Nepalese building codes. A study using passive microtremor recordings identified clear site amplification in the Siddhitol Region, highlighting the need for site-specific hazard analysis and revisions to building codes to mitigate future risks. The research approach involved analyzing shear wave velocity profiles from severely damaged areas and the main seismic station in Kathmandu, converting these into spectral accelerations using earthquake input motion data.

Tallett-Williams, S., Gosh, B., Wilkinson, S., Fenton, C., Burton, P., Whitworth, M., Datla, S., Franco, G., Trieu, A., Dejong, M., Novellis, V., White, T., & Lloyd, T. (2016). Site amplification in the Kathmandu Valley during the 2015 M7.6 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 14(12), 3301–3315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-016-0003-8