Publisher's Synopsis
Risk assessments are important. They help to save lives and money by identifying which regions, buildings, infrastructure and people are vulnerable or more likely to experience strong shaking. Risk assessment helps to make informed decisions on where and how to use resources. Seismic hazard describes natural phenomena caused by an earthquake that have the potential to cause harm, such as surface rupture, ground motion, ground-motion amplification, liquefaction, or induced landslide. Seismic hazard can be evaluated from instrumental, historical, and geological observations. Seismic hazard assessment is the basis of modern seismic design and engineering. Seismic hazard maps of different contents and scales are result of such investigations. It makes possible to take into account all the features of the territory forming mentioned hazard. The economic consequences of earthquakes may occur both before and after the seismic event itself. However, the focus of this volume will be on those which occur after earthquakes. The consequences and effects of earthquakes may be classified in terms of their primary or direct effects and their secondary or indirect effects. This 1st volume Encyclopaedia of Earthquakes: Tectonics, Hazard and Risk Mitigation present the state of the art on recent progress in earthquake engineering and management. It is intended to diverse aspects of earthquake researches, especially to new achievements in seismicity that involves geosciences, assessment, and mitigation. The information is packed with advanced materials of detailed engineering investigations, which can help more clearly appreciate, predict, and manage different earthquake processes.
