Safety requirements for buildings under induced earthquakes due to gas extraction

In the Dutch province of Groningen over the last year shallow earthquakes are induced due to large scale gas extraction from the gas field at 3 km depth. The induced earthquakes differ from the better known tectonic earthquakes all over the world, caused by movement of the earth at large depths. The structures affected by the earthquakes however have never been engineered to withstand earthquakes. Layout of the walls and standard structural details can lead to dangerous partial collapse like fall of walls, opening of cracks and even to total collapse. Based on a target level for the Individual Risk (IR), in this paper, a reliability based method is developed for the design of new structures and assessment of existing structures for the area affected by the Groningen gas field.