Development of New Ground Motion Prediction Equation for the North and Central Himalayas Using Recorded Strong Motion Data

A new region-specific Ground Motion Prediction Equation (GMPE) was developed for the North and Central Himalayas purely based on recorded strong motion data. The GMPE was generated using multiple-regression, considering ground acceleration, magnitude, and hypocentral distance. An updated larger dataset was used in the present study, making the new equation applicable to a larger magnitude range of 4.1 to 7.8 and distance range up to 1560 kms, thus overcoming a major limitation of currently available region-specific GMPEs. The new GMPE was validated and observed to predict ground acceleration more accurately with noticeably less residuals as compared to existing GMPEs.