<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Dam construction is one of the most popular solutions for managing water resources. In recent years, changes in patterns of regional seismicity associated with large impoundment dams have raised concerns among environmentalists. In this study, five large dams located in Iran were studied from this perspective. The Gutenberg-Richter, linear regression and T-test were used to examine the seismic changes in the radius of 100 km of each of the dams during a twenty-five-year period before and after the construction of the dams. The results revealed that the seismicity level and relative density of large and small earthquakes in three of these dams have increased after dam construction. A significant difference between the magnitude of earthquakes, as well as the number of earthquakes before and after the construction of dams in the region, was recognized. However, the results of the T-test statistical analysis indicated that the mean depth of the earthquakes and their distance from the dams before and after construction have not changed significantly. Overall, these results indicated that the construction of large impoundment dams has been associated with some changes in patterns of regional seismicity. The findings would guide researchers to further investigate the type of impacts that dam construction may have on seismicity patterns.</p>
</abstract>

Dam construction is one of the most popular solutions for managing water resources. In recent years, changes in patterns of regional seismicity associated with large impoundment dams have raised concerns among environmentalists. In this study, five large dams located in Iran were studied from this perspective. The Gutenberg-Richter, linear regression and T-test were used to examine the seismic changes in the radius of 100 km of each of the dams during a twenty-five-year period before and after the construction of the dams. The results revealed that the seismicity level and relative density of large and small earthquakes in three of these dams have increased after dam construction. A significant difference between the magnitude of earthquakes, as well as the number of earthquakes before and after the construction of dams in the region, was recognized. However, the results of the T-test statistical analysis indicated that the mean depth of the earthquakes and their distance from the dams before and after construction have not changed significantly. Overall, these results indicated that the construction of large impoundment dams has been associated with some changes in patterns of regional seismicity. The findings would guide researchers to further investigate the type of impacts that dam construction may have on seismicity patterns.

Analyzing the Impact of Large Dams on Seismicity Patterns around Their Locations

Archives of Hydro-Engineering and Environmental Mechanics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Analyzing the Impact of Large Dams on Seismicity Patterns around Their Locations"}

Dam construction is one of the most popular solutions for managing water resources. In recent years, changes in patterns of regional seismicity associated with...

Analyzing the Impact of Large Dams on Seismicity Patterns around Their Locations

Publié en ligne: 30 août 2021

Pages: 3 - 17

Reçu: 15 mars 2021

Accepté: 03 juil. 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/heem-2021-0001

Mots clés
dam construction, impoundment, seismicity pattern, earthquake

© 2021 Mina Parvizishad et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Analyzing the Impact of Large Dams on Seismicity Patterns around Their Locations

Publié en ligne: 30 août 2021

Pages: 3 - 17

Reçu: 15 mars 2021

Accepté: 03 juil. 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/heem-2021-0001

Mots clésdam construction, impoundment, seismicity pattern, earthquake

© 2021 Mina Parvizishad et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Mots clés
dam construction, impoundment, seismicity pattern, earthquake