Directional effects of tectonic fractures on ground motion site amplification from earthquake and ambient noise data: A case study in South Iceland

Abstract

The geology of SW-Iceland is characterized by alternating basaltic lava units, hyaloclastite formations, postglacial sedimentary filled valleys and alluvial plains, as well as highly fractured bedrock within the Reykjanes Peninsula volcanic rift zone and the South-Iceland transform fault system. Historic earthquakes within this region reach magnitudes 6.5–7. Using earthquake and ambient noise recordings from 15 seismic stations within the rift and transform zones we compared wavefield polarization and seismic site response in order to assess characteristics of local amplification of ground motion. Ambient noise and earthquake ground motion spectral ratios are comparable in frequency and can qualitatively be subdivided into three groups: one with a spectral ratio characterized by a single predominant frequency of horizontal amplification, one with a bi- or multimodal and one characterized by a relatively constant amplitude across the frequency range. Seismic wavefield polarization within the transform zone has a prevailing direction of amplification towards 110°−150°N in the frequency range 1.0–3.0Hz, having a quasi-perpendicular relationship with mapped faults and fractures. Shear wave splitting results show that the wavefield polarization and fast S wave directions tend to be orthogonal, i.e. highly dependent on the anisotropy of the medium.