Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ARABIAN JOURNAL OF GEOSCIENCES, cilt.14, sa.5, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
Among alternative descriptors of seismic effects, intensity is a significant measure. Along with the instrumental ground motion parameters, seismic intensity has been recently used extensively. Despite the subjectivity involved in their estimation, intensity values provide valuable information regarding the distribution of seismic effects. Correlations between felt intensity and instrumental peak ground motion derived with data from past earthquakes are employed recently all over the world. To derive such correlations, intensity values are collected systematically after damaging earthquakes and paired with nearby recordings. In Turkey, there is neither a systematic intensity database nor a framework for collecting such data. In this study, a review of current intensity data collection procedures is performed followed by a proposal of a 3-stage framework to be used in Turkey. The first stage is a very short term one, which is planned to be completed within a week after the earthquake. This stage involves the collection of online questionnaires and production of an initial intensity map. If the maximum reported MMI value in stage 1 for an earthquake exceeds VII, stage 2 is recommended where systematic field surveys by experts in addition to electronic data collected are used to obtain a calibrated intensity map. The last stage is optional consisting of advanced level calibrations of the MMI values obtained in the previous stages. Such efforts, in the long run, will lead to a comprehensively structured intensity database for Turkey and more accurate estimations of potential damage and intensity distributions of severe earthquakes.