Mapping of Soil Dynamic Response of Palu City Based on Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) Method

Abstract

Palu is one of the earthquake prone coastal cities in Indonesia. The 28 September 2018 earthquake (Mw 7.5) destroyed buildings in Palu due to ground shaking amplification, liquefaction, and tsunami. This phenomenon implies the importance of soil dynamic properties knowledge as a basis for proper building design to reduce such an earthquake. This paper presents the results of microtremor measurements conducted at 110 locations in Palu to estimate the dynamic properties of alluvial and marine deposits for earthquake mitigation. The microtremor data were processed using the HVSR method to estimate dominant frequency and amplification factors. Based on these two parameters, the seismic vulnerability index value can be used to estimate the dynamic characteristic variations of the area. The results show that alluvial and marine sediments in Palu have dominant frequency values from 0.54 to 11.72 Hz, amplification from 1.64 to 6.15, and seismic vulnerability index of 1.49 to 56. Sediments with low dominant frequency and high amplification factors are mostly found in the western and eastern Palu and Mantikulore districts, which are associated with thick sediment layers. The areas with the highest amplification factor and seismic vulnerability index are Petobo and Balaroa, which experienced severe damage during the 2018 earthquake.