Abstract
The proximity to the convergent boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates makes Gujarat a seismically active region in India. It is divided into four earthquake zones: II, III, IV, and V, with V being the most active. Though earthquakes are highly devastating to archaeological sites, among the numerous measures implemented to minimize the impact of earthquakes, they are often overlooked. Earthquakes collapse and displace the fragile structures and stratigraphy of subsurface sites. Therefore, for effective heritage management, assessing the risk of earthquakes before a disaster is crucial. In this study, a risk assessment was carried out for 508 archaeological sites in Gujarat, associated with the Indus civilization and regional Chalcolithic cultures, using hazard, value, and vulnerability parameters. Hazard is the source of harm; value is the significance; and vulnerability is the internal weakness. The earthquake potential was measured using the magnitude and intensity of earthquakes in the last 70 years. The value of archaeological sites was estimated based on their physical structure and tourism potential. The vulnerability was assessed using the three climate change indicators: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The earthquake zones, the state of preservation of sites, and the protected status of the sites served as the parameters for the vulnerability indicators, respectively. The results show that 41 sites are at high risk from earthquakes. Prominent sites include the Dholavira World Heritage Site, Kanmer, Bagasra, and Kuntasi. With this study, an attempt has been made to provide a framework for the risk assessment of archaeological sites.
Author Information
Haritha Kadapa, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India
Paper Information
Conference: ACCS2024
Stream: Geology/Earth Sciences/Social Geography
This paper is part of the ACCS2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Kadapa H. (2024) An Earthquake Risk Assessment and the Imperative of Conserving Archaeological Sites in Gujarat, India ISSN: 2187-4751 – The Asian Conference on Cultural Studies 2024: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 55-62) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2187-4751.2024.6
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2187-4751.2024.6
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