EARTHQUAKE HAZARD ASSESSMENT IN KARONGA DISTRICT USING GIS

Among the various types of natural disasters, earthquake is considered as one of the most destructive events which impose a great number of human fatalities and economic losses. Visualization of earthquake events and estimation of peak ground motions provide a strong tool for scientists and authorities to predict and mitigate the aftereffects of earthquakes. Karonga District is prone to seismic waves resulting from the tectonic activity associated with East Africa's great Rift Valley Fault, a constructive edge that forms Lake Malawi and in recent years there has been increase in construction of different infrastructures hence there is need of seismic hazard assessment in the area. This study was amained at assessing earthquake hazard in Karonga district using Geographical Information System platform by analyzing seismic data for the period of 1920 to 2021. The probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) approach was implemented for the analysis. Finally, probabilistic seismic hazard maps for Karonga district for the return periods of 50 and 100years in order to aid in seismic zoning, seismic design, and seismic risk assessment of facilities, which can then aid in disaster management.

Among the various types of natural disasters, earthquake is considered as one of the most destructive events which impose a great number of human fatalities and economic losses. Karonga District is prone to seismic waves resulting from the tectonic activity associated with East Africa's great Rift Valley Fault, a constructive edge that forms Lake Malawi and in recent years there has been increase in construction of different infrastructures hence there is need of seismic hazard assessment in the area. This study was amained at assessing earthquake hazard in Karonga district using Geographical Information System platform by analyzing seismic data for the period of 1920 to 2021. Finally, probabilistic seismic hazard maps for Karonga district for the return periods of 50 and 100years in order to aid in seismic zoning, seismic design, and seismic risk assessment of facilities, which can then aid in disaster management.

The study was conducted in Karonga District. The district is located in the Northern region of Malawi. The district covers an area of 3416 km2 and has a population of365,028 (NSO, 2018).

District: Karonga

Coordinates: -10.03785, 34.02285