Relationship between Modified Mercalli Intensity and peak ground acceleration in Myanmar

Santi Pailoplee

Earthquake and Tectonic Geology Research Unit (EATGRU), c/o Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn Uni-versity, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.

DOI: 10.4236/ns.2012.428082                

Abstract

In this study, the previously reported isoseismal maps are compiled and used to carefully investigate the macroseismic intensity in terms of the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, based on the engineering ground-motion parameter, as the peak ground acceleration (PGA), inferred from the ground-motion attenuation characteristic of Myanmar. The preliminary relationship between the MMI and PGA is reported to be a function of log10(PGA) = 0.2526MMI – 3.1006. The strongly correlated MMI-PGA relationship obtained in this study, if confirmed, will be particularly useful in real-time applications for damage prediction or engineering parameter determination when an earthquake occurs in or nearby to Myanmar. Compared with the previously proposed MMI-PGA relationships for other regions, the standard of building construction in Myanmar is not high enough to withstand the hazards from earthquakes, particularly at higher levels of ground motion. Therefore, the standard building code for Myanmar should be modified in order to reduce future hazards arising from earthquakes.

Keywords

Isoseismal Map; Modified Mercalli Intensity; Peak Ground Acceleration; Myanmar

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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