ABSTRACT
Hoover Dam in the US built in the 1930s was the first concrete dam designed against earthquake where both the inertial effects of the dam and the hydrodynamic pressure of the reservoir were considered dams were designed against earthquakes as early as in the 1920s in Japan where the seismic action was taken into account in the stability analyses. ICOLD has discussed the effects of earthquakes on dams at several Congresses and Annual Meetings. At the 5th ICOLD Congress in Paris, France in 1955 the following subject was discussed: ‘Settlement of earth dams due to compressibility of the dam materials or of the foundation, effect of earthquakes on the design of dams. In June 1968 the ICOLD Committee on Earthquakes was established. This committee now exists under the name: Committee on Seismic Aspects of Dam Design. Thirty-one countries from all continents are represented in this important committee.
