Seismic site effects for shallow and deep alluvial basins: in-depth motion and focusing effect

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The main purpose of the paper is the analysis of seismic site effects in various alluvial basins. The analysis is performed considering a numerical approach (boundary element method). Two main cases are considered: a shallow deposit in the centre of Nice (France) [Soil Dyn. Earthquake Engng 19 (2000) 345] and a deep irregular basin in Caracas (Venezuela) [Comput. Geotech. 29 (2002) 573]. The amplification of seismic motion is analysed in terms of level, occuring frequency and location. For both sites, the amplification factor is found to reach maximum values of 20 (weak motion). Site effects nevertheless have very different features concerning the frequency dependence and the location of maximum amplification. For the shallow deposit in Nice, the amplification factor is very small for low frequencies and fastly increases above 1.0 Hz. The irregular Caracas basin gives a much different frequency dependence with many different peaks at various frequencies. The model for Caracas deep alluvial basin also includes a part of the local topography such as the nearest mountain. One can estimate seismic site effects due to both velocity contrast (between the basin and the bedrock) and local topography of the site. Furthermore, the maximum amplification is located on the surface for Nice, whereas some strong amplification areas also appear inside the basin itself in the case of Caracas. One investigates the influence of this focusing effect on the motion versus depth dependence. This is of great interest for the analysis of seismic response of underground structures. The form and the depth of alluvial deposits are then found to have a great influence on the location of maximum amplification on the surface but also inside the deposit for deep irregular basins. It is essential for the analysis of the seismic response of both surface and underground structures.