Mapping Seismic Zones Based on the Geomorphic Indices and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP): A Case Study in Cao Bang Province and Adjacent Areas (Vietnam)

Abstract

This paper presents the application of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for mapping seismic zones in Cao Bang province and adjacent areas. The application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in this study consists of four analytical steps namely: (1) Determination of the geomorphic indices' sensitivity with respect to the earthquake activity using the MLP (Multi-layer Perceptron) neural network; (2) Calculation of the weight coefficients of all indices according to principle Eigenvector (AHP method); (3) Estimation of the ranking sensitivity of each geomorphic indices to the earthquake activity using their value distribution and (4) Identification of the Seismic Susceptibility Index (SSI). The results show that there are 6 seismic zones in the study area, including Na Hang, where the largest earthquake occurred with M4.

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“…The fuzzy evaluation method is mainly used to solve the problem of uncertain influencing factors, but relies on the subjective judgment of the decision maker, making it difficult to consider the objectivity of the actual problem [24]. Compared with the fuzzy evaluation method, AHP combines qualitative judgment with quantitative inference, but it is still a semi-quantitative method, which reduces the credibility of the results [25]. PCA can automatically allocate the weight of each factor according to data characteristics, improving the reliability of the results.…”