Modification of seismograph records for effects of local soil conditions

Abstract

abstract A procedure for modifying the time histories of seismic records for the effect of local soil conditions is presented. The method is based on a conventional one-dimensional wave-propagation approach with equivalent linear soil properties, extended to practical use for transient motions through the Fast Fourier technique. The validity of the approach is tested against the motions recorded at four soil sites and one rock site during the 1957 San Francisco earthquake. The good agreement between the computed and recorded values indicates that rock motions can be computed from motions recorded on soil deposits, and that the computed rock motions in turn can be used to predict the motion that would have been recorded under different soil and geological conditions. The method is also used to evaluate the probable rock motions in the vicinity of El Centro in the earthquake of 1940 and the ground surface motions that could have been developed on various soil conditions in the same general area.