Das Erdbeben vom 17. Mai 2014 in Südhessen - Ingenieuranalyse der Erdbebenschäden

The earthquake on May 17, 2014 in Southern Hesse - Engineering analysis of earthquake damage

The earthquake on May 17, 2014 in Southern Hesse was the strongest event on the territory of Germany in 2014. The effects of the earthquake ground motion could not only be perceived in large parts of southern Hesse but also in Stuttgart/Baden-Württemberg.
Although it was a relatively weak earthquake, there was a remarkable damage concentration in the district Nieder-Beerbach of the community Mühltal.
In the affected area, the structural damage and their distribution are documented. The paper gives an overview of the damage cases and can be regarded as an attempt to identify the areas of damage concentration. As an outcome of different field surveys and mapping procedures it can be concluded that the location of buildings in vicinity to the epicenter and local site effects have mainly contributed to an increase of damage grades.
Furthermore, results indicate different options for the macroseismic classification of the earthquake, especially with respect to the evaluation of the damage to non-structural elements.