Seismic vulnerability comparison between rural Weinan and other rural areas in Western China

Abstract Generally, the anti-seismic capacity of rural buildings in China is poor due to their irregular design and construction. On the basis of historical destructive earthquake records, corresponding earthquake loss evaluation compilations (1993–2016), field investigations, and remote sensing interpretation, building structures in rural Weinan are classified into two types and analyzed to acquire the seismic vulnerability matrices by employing the fitting method of beta probability density function (BPDF). Results show that BPDF can well reveal the probability density distribution of seismic damage index, and also the damage ratio obtained agrees well with the description of damage degrees in Chinese macroseismic intensity scale. The vulnerability indexes in rural areas of Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai provinces and in Weinan City (Shaanxi province) were calculated and a comparison of aseismic ability was made. Results show that, among the rural areas in Western China, the aseismic abilities of traditional buildings in rural Weinan are the lowest while those of masonry buildings are highest. Moreover, potential losses in rural Weinan are estimated on the assumption that a scenario earthquake with a magnitude Ms 6¾ hit Weinan City, proposed by the UK-China Collaboration programme ‘‘Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards in Earthquake-Prone regions in China”. It was found that the damage ratios obtained captured the distribution of the aseismic abilities of the rural buildings and therefore improved the accuracy of the loss assessment, which provides scientific basis for the scenario narratives. What we discovered in this paper is also helpful in future earthquake damage prediction and enhancement of public awareness on earthquake resistance.