Tsunamigenic Analysis in and around Makran

The Makran region is only segment east of the Mediterranean and west of Andaman arc in which subduction of oceanic lithosphere is still an ongoing process. We applied statistical models for the possible explanation of earthquakes in and around Makran, and described a method of Fault Plane Solutions to present seismicity picture in the investigated region, and their possible tsunamigenic effects on Gwadar Coast. We also applied the Community Modeling Interface for Tsunami (ComMIT) for the estimation of tsunami hazard along the coast of Gwader due to the Arabian and Eurasian plate boundary earthquakes along the Makran subduction zone.     

Analytical Modeling of Horizontally Curved Steel Girder Highway Bridges for Seismic Analysis

This article introduces a generic modeling approach that is suitable for static and dynamic analysis, and response assessment of highway bridges with varying levels of irregularities. The proposed approach and modeling recommendations are based on grillage modeling rules that allows explicit representation of various types of details and components. The validity and accuracy of the proposed approach is demonstrated against three-dimensional finite element models as well as experimentally recorded response various benchmark bridges. While achieving remarkable accuracy, the required analysis time was also reduced up to 80%, making the proposed approach suitable for computationally intensive studies.     

Book reviews

The Persian Land Reform, 1962–1966. By Ann K.S. Lambton. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969. xiii+386 pp. $11.75.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviews in This Article: The Desert Bible. By Morris S. Seale. The Sense of Unity: The Sufi Tradition in Persian Architecture. By Nader Ardalan and Laleh Bakhtiar. Sayyid Ahmad. A Study of the Religious Reform Movement of Sayyid Ahmad of Rē Bareli. By Muhammad Hedayetullah. The Khilafat Movement in India, 1919-1924. By A. C. Niemeijer. History of Medieval Deccan (1295-1724), Vol. I (Mainly Political and Military Aspects). Edited by H. K. Sherwani and P. M. Joshi. New French Imperialism, 1880-1910: The Third Republic and Colonial Expansion. By James J. Cooke. The U.S.S.R. and the Middle East. Edited by Michael Confino and Shimon Shamir. Survival or Hegemony? The Foundations of Israeli Foreign Policy. By Samuel J. Roberts. Truman, The Jewish Vote and the Creation of. Israel. By John Snetsinger.     

Afghanistan: Imperatives of Stability Misperceived

More than seven years have passed since the intervention of the international community in Afghanistan, yet the country has not only failed to achieve stability; it has actually experienced a downward trend on that account. The worsening situation in Afghanistan has occurred despite the fact that the Afghan government and its international partners have allocated unprecedented amounts of resources, increased their security forces and implemented socio-political and economic programs that they deemed were conducive to stability. Why and how this failure did come about? This article challenges some of the underlying assumptions for stability and the notion of political reconstruction that the international community and the Afghan government have implemented so far as being largely responsible for the gloomy state of affairs in that country.     

Analytical Fragility Curves for a Class of Horizontally Curved Box-Girder Bridges

Analytical fragility curves were developed for curved single-frame concrete box-girder bridges with seat-type abutments. The bridges incorporated the current seismic design considerations and modern details that were recently adopted by CALTRANS. Fragility curves demonstrated that columns were the most vulnerable components, while the modern seismic details successfully protected the abutment piles from damage during large earthquakes. Increasing the subtended angle affected the seismic vulnerability at both the component and system levels. Functional relationships were proposed to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of curved bridges. Moreover, fragility curve parameters were shown to depend on soil condition and spectral characteristics of ground motions.