Seismic Hazard Assessment and Building Vulnerability in Qom City

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Civil Engineering, Qo.C., Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran

2 Faculty of Management and Accounting, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran

3 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Mazandaran, Iran

Abstract

Qom city, owing to its location on several active faults, is a sensitive area exposed to seismic hazards. Therefore, damage reduction, crisis management, and enhancement of the city’s resilience are essential. The aim of this study is to evaluate Qom’s resilience against earthquakes. This objective includes producing practical maps such as seismic soil classification, peak ground acceleration (PGA) for 475 and 2475 year return period earthquakes, and assessing building performance under these seismic scenarios. To this end, soil data from previous studies were collected and analyzed using ArcGIS. PGA values for the 475 and 2475 year return period earthquakes were obtained using OpenQuake software. Finally, the results were compiled using Excel and ArcGIS. The assessments showed that the mean probability of building failure in Qom under earthquakes with 475 and 2475 year return periods is 66.5% and 80.5%, respectively, which is mainly due to the prevalence of masonry buildings lacking adequate lateral load resisting systems. These findings highlight the necessity of retrofitting and renewing deteriorated buildings, improving construction standards, and prioritizing urban resilience enhancement.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Civil Engineering and Applied Solutions
Volume 2, Issue 4
October 2026
Pages 1-14

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History

  • Receive Date: 22 December 2025
  • Revise Date: 28 January 2026
  • Accept Date: 23 April 2026
  • First Publish Date: 23 April 2026

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