In Europe and elsewhere the economically feasible water resources have been greatly developed until the 1970s. }clFaT>m?
Although large dams belong to the first structures, which have been designed systematically against earthquakes z=ppNP0
since the 1930s, the seismic safety of these dams is unknown, as most of them have been designed using seismic Nb]qY>K
design criteria and methods of analysis that are considered obsolete today. The fact that no major dams have f+ I*aBQ
failed during earthquakes and that few lives have been lost (except in the case of tailings dam failures) may give IyP\7WZ
the impression that well-designed dams are safe against earthquakes. We need to re-evaluate the seismic safety te:"1:e
of existing dams based on current state-of-the-art practice and rehabilitate existing dams if necessary. ;xth#j
Additionally, there are a large number of smaller dams, especially earth structures, which were built for L9r 3jz
irrigation or water supply by organisations or villagers with little experience in dam construction. Earthquake C 7+TnJ
effects on these dams have rarely been considered
