Analytical and Experimental Investigation of the Frequency Content of Ground Motions Recorded in Bucharest During Strong Vrancea Earthquakes

Abstract

With a population of over 2 million inhabitants, Bucharest is considered as one of the world’s 10 most vulnerable cities to earthquakes. Several destructive earthquakes, occurring from the Vrancea seismogenic source, have hit the city in the past. According to previous studies, the particular local near surface geology of the city seems to play an important role in the site amplification phenomena recorded during strong earthquakes. In the paper, the frequency content of ground motions recorded in Bucharest during the strong Vrancea earthquakes of the last four decades is assessed analytically, based on parameters used in literature, and results are mapped and interpreted in correlation with the information obtained by in situ measurements. Conclusions are drawn, with reference to the combined effects of seismic source and of local site conditions in the analyzed area.