Abstract
Seismic hazard estimation is the primary step in performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE). In addition to accurately estimating the median or mean hazard, it is essential to capture its distribution, which can be used for ground motion selection. This study performs a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) to estimate the seismic hazard at two sites in Northern India, i.e., Dehradun and New Delhi. The median uniform hazard spectra (UHS) are used to specify the seismic hazard at eight return periods. The obtained median UHS at the maximum considered earthquake (MCE) for both locations are significantly (up to four times) different from each other. However, both cities are grouped into the same seismic zone (Zone IV) by the Indian codes. Disaggregation results for both sites are also presented. The major contribution at the Dehradun site comes from closely (less than 50 km) located seismic sources of varying magnitude (5.5–8.5). On the other hand, the contribution to hazard at the New Delhi site comes from sources belonging to one of two sets: (1) lower magnitudes (5.5–6.5) sources located within 150 km, and (2) higher magnitude (7.5–8.5) sources located farther away (200 km-350 km).