INTRODUCTION TO

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines

Prepared by: Engr. Katherine Shayne D. Yee, CE, ME-1

About the subject:
 Number of Units: Lecture: 3 units
 Number of Hours per week: 3 hours
 Pre-requisite Subjects: Structural theory 2
Grading system
 The grading system will be based on the University Handbook.

Lecture Grade (100%)

Criteria Percentage
Class Standing 10%
Performance
Quiz/Prelim Performance 40%
Item
Midterm Exam 30%
Innovative Task 20%
TOTAL 100%

Computed final grade will be based on ½ of MTG and ½ of FTG.

Textbook Reference
 National Structural Code of the Philippines 2015 (7th Edition). Association of
Structural Engineers of the Philippines.
 Earthquake Design Manual Vol 1 – Code Provisions for Lateral Forces. (2003)
Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippine
 Earthquake Engineering for Structural Design. Victor Gioncu and Federico
Mazzolani.
 Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering. Amr S. Elnashai and Luigi Di
Sarno.
Requirements for this course:
 NSCP 2015 7th edition book (basis for attendance every meeting)
 Earthquake Design Plates:
 Architectural Plans of the Proposed Structure
 Earthquake Load Computation
 Structural Analysis of the structure (considering Earthquake load only)
 To include a plate consisting of the problems of the examinations given from
Prelim to Finals.
1st Part of the course: “Group
Reporting”
 After the topics discussed, we will
have a preliminary quiz.
 Topics:
 1st group: Elements of Seismology
 2nd group: Earthquake Records
and Measuring Instruments
 3rd group: Earthquake Waves
 4th group: Earthquake Descriptors
Introduction to Earthquake
Engineering
 WHAT IS AN EARTHQUAKE?
 An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth
suddenly slip past one another. The surface where they slip is called
the fault or fault plane. The location below the earth’s surface
where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the
location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called
the epicenter.
NEW CHALLENGES IN SEISMIC DESIGN
Earthquakes represent the largest potential source of casualties
and damage for inhabited areas due to natural hazard. Although the
location varies, the pattern is the same: an earthquake strikes without
warning, leaving cities in rubble and killing tens to hundreds of
thousands of people.

Earthquake in Kobe, Japan (1995) Earthquake in Northridge, LA (1994)

M (6.9) M(6.7)
IMPACT OF EARTHQUAKES

Most of the cities in the world are

located within the seismic zones.
What is Earthquake Engineering?
 Earthquake engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that
designs and analyzes structures, such as buildings and bridges,
with earthquakes in mind. Its overall goal is to make such structures more
resistant to earthquakes.
Histories of Major Earthquakes in
the Philippines
 Casiguran Earthquake (Aug. 02, 1968)
 At around 4am on August 2, 1968, a
magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit the city
of Casiguran in Aurora, Province.
Though Manila is located relatively far
from the epicenter, it was the
national capital region that suffered
the brunt of the tremor. Ruby Tower, a
6-storey building in Binondo, Manila,
was among the buildings that were
severely damaged. In it were 38
commercial units and 76 residential
units.
 Lebak Earthquake (Aug. 17, 1976)
 A 7.9-magnitude earthquake and
resulting tsunami hit the Moro Gulf,
leaving over 5,000 people dead. With
its epicenter near the town of Lebak
in Sultan Kudarat, in a region of the
Celebes Sea where earthquakes
frequently occur – the 1976 Moro Gulf
quake brought with it one of the most
terrifying natural forces known to
man: a tsunami. Without warning,
about 2-5 minutes after the
earthquake struck, waves as high as 9
meters reached the shore and
inundated communities along the
Moro Gulf.
 Baguio Earthquake (July 16, 1990)
 At around 4 pm on July 16, 1990, a
magnitude-7.8 earthquake hit
Northern and Central Luzon. Its
epicenter was recorded in Nueva
Ecija, and the shaking lasted for
about a minute. Among the hardest
hit areas were the cities of Baguio,
Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija, and
Dagupan in Pangasinan. In Baguio
City, several structures collapsed,
burying people alive. Some
establishments destroyed included
hotels like the Hyatt Terraces Plaza,
Nevada Hotel, Baguio Hilltop Hotel,
Baguio Park Hotel, and FRB Hotel.
 Negros Oriental Earthquake (Feb. 6, 2012)
 Nearly 60 people were killed when a
6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Negros
Oriental. According to PHIVOLCS, the
earthquake was caused by
movement on a previously
undiscovered fault. However,
according to an Environmental
Sciences professor, this fault was
already known to private geologists
hired by the Negros Occidental
government to create a land use
map for the province.
 Bohol Earthquake (October 15, 2013)
 Centuries-old churches in Bohol and
Cebu crumble down to a 7.2-
magnitude tremor, which also killed
222 people and injured 976 others. It
was the deadliest earthquake in the
Philippines in 23 years since the 1990
Luzon earthquake. The energy
released by the quake was
equivalent to 32 Hiroshima bombs.
Previously, Bohol was also hit by an
earthquake on 8 February 1990 that
damaged several buildings and
caused a tsunami.
 Surigao Earthquake (Feb. 10, 2017)
 The 2017 Surigao earthquake, or 2017
Dinagat Island earthquake, occurred
on February 10, 2017 at 10:03 PST, with
a moment magnitude of 6.7 off the
coast of Surigao del Norte in the
Philippines. According to the
PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale
the earthquake was an Intensity VII
(Destructive) earthquake at
maximum.
 What does Pacific Ring of Fire mean?
 The Philippines lies within the Pacific
Ring of Fire, which causes the
archipelago to have frequent
volcanic and seismic activity. The
Ring of Fire is a major area in the
basin of the Pacific Ocean where a
large number of earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions occur.
 About 90% of the world's earthquakes
and 81% of the world's largest
earthquakes occur along the Ring of
Fire.
 The Ring of Fire is a direct result of
plate tectonics: the movement and
collisions of lithospheric plates.