ABSTRACT
Earthquakes represent multiple hazards with the following features in the case of a storage dam:
ground shaking causes vibrations and structural distortions in dams, appurtenant structures and equipment, and their foundations;
fault movements in the dam foundation or discontinuities in dam foundation near major faults can be activated, causing structural distortions;
fault displacement in the reservoir bottom may cause water waves in the reservoir or loss of freeboard;
rockfalls and landslides may cause damage to gates, spillway piers (cracks), retaining walls (overturning), surface powerhouses (cracking and puncturing and distortions), electro-mechanical equipment, penstocks, masts of transmission lines, etc.
mass movements into the reservoir may cause impulse waves in the reservoir;
mass movements blocking rivers and forming landslide dams and lakes whose failure may lead to overtopping of run-of-river power plants or the inundation of powerhouses with equipment, and damage downstream;
ground movements and settlements due to liquefaction, densification of soil and rockfill, causing distortions in dams; and
abutment movements causing sliding of and distortions in the dam.
