ABSTRACT
The main concerns are related to the existing dams, which either have not been designed against earthquakes – this applies mainly to small and old dams – and dams built using design criteria and methods of analyses which are considered as outdated today. Therefore, it is not clear if these dams satisfy today’s seismic safety criteria. There is a need that the seismic safety of existing dams be checked, and modern methods of seismic hazard assessment be used such as the guidelines given in ICOLD Bulletin 120. This will result in a dam which will perform well during a strong earthquake. To follow these guidelines is more important than to perform any sophisticated dynamic analysis, which is only a tool to help understand how a dam will perform.
