ENEQ610-25X (C) General non-calendar-based 2025

Seismic Hazard and Risk Analysis

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 6 October 2025
End Date: Sunday, 7 December 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 19 October 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 16 November 2025

Description

Fundamental aspects of earthquakes and faulting, terminology for characterisation of earthquake faults, locating earthquakes, and frequency of earthquake occurrence. Strong ground motion recording and analysis, characterisation of strong ground motion in terms of intensity measures and empirical prediction models. Seismic hazard analysis and the development of design ground motions. Selection and modification of as-recorded ground motions for input in seismic response history analyses. Theoretical considerations in wave propagation and seismic site response analysis. Simulation of strong ground motion time series using deterministic and stochastic methods.

The objective of this course is for students to develop an understanding of seismicity and earthquake-induced ground motions, and engineering approaches for modelling them for the purpose of seismic design. While this course does not have a clear precursor course in the Civil undergraduate degree, it is well aligned with Structural and Geotechnical courses such as ENCI423, ENCI429, ENCI452.  In particular, it is noted that the focus of topics in this course essentially provide the necessary ‘ground motion input’ for “ENEQ620: Advanced geotechnical earthquake engineering”, and therefore ENEQ620 is strongly recommended in conjunction with this course.

Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the physical processes which cause earthquakes, the various terminologies which are used to characterize them, and the relationships describing the frequency of occurrence of earthquakes in a regional- and fault-specific context.

  • Be able to characterize observed or simulated strong ground motions in terms of amplitude, frequency content, and duration; and predict ground motion characteristics using empirical and physics-based models.

  • Understand, and be able to perform a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and determine design ground motion intensity measures.

  • Select and modify recorded ground motions for use in dynamic seismic response analyses

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department or the Programme Director.

Restrictions

ENCI617

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 09:00 - 12:00 Online Delivery
29 Sep - 23 Nov

Course Coordinator

Brendon Bradley

Assessment

Assignments (2)
Percentage of grade: 45%

Discussion session presentation
Percentage of grade: 5%

Final exam
Percentage of grade: 50%

Total 100%

Textbooks / Resources

This course is based on the textbook:
Baker JW, Bradley BA, Stafford PJ. Seismic Hazard and Risk Analysis. Cambridge University Press. 2021.

A digital copy of this book is accessible through the University of Canterbury library.  The physical (hardcover) book is also available for purchase from the University of Canterbury Bookshop on campus, as well as online via Cambridge University Press, Amazon etc.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,268.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

Minimum enrolments

This course will not be offered if fewer than 5 people apply to enrol.

For further information see Civil and Environmental Engineering .

All ENEQ610 Occurrences

  • ENEQ610-25X (C) General non-calendar-based 2025