Site Response Characteristics Research Articles

Machine learning ground motion models for a critical site with long-term earthquake records

Ground motion models derived using data from widespread stations and earthquakes induce significant aleatory variability when applied to predict ground motions for a single site. This issue can be even worse when the sites of interest show complex site response characteristics and do not have enough similar sites in the ground motion model development dataset. This work provides a machine-learning-based ground motion modeling framework for sites with numerous earthquake recordings. The Onahama Port Array, a liquefiable site in Japan that has recorded more than 1200 earthquakes in the last 25 years, was selected as a case study. The gradient boosting method was employed to predict response spectra with periods from 0.01 to 10 s for earthquakes with Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) magnitude ranging from 2.4 to 9.0. Different predictor combinations were tested, and two gradient boosting models were recommended: the basic model that requires earthquake magnitude and epicentral distance as inputs, and the optimal model that requires three additional inputs, focal depth, azimuth, and rainfall. The basic and optimal gradient boosting models have the root mean square error of 0.004 and 0.001 g, average r2 of 5-fold cross validation of 0.915 and 0.983, respectively. The results shed light on seismic hazard assessment for critical sites with long-term earthquake recordings.

Noise and site response characterization in Makassar Strait and Celebes Sea based on Ocean Bottom Seismometer

To overcome the limited information in the northern waters of Sulawesi Island, ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) were installed in the northern part of the Makassar Strait and the Sulawesi Sea. OBS data were analysed using passive seismic methods to determine the characteristics of noise and site response in the Makassar Strait and the Celebes Sea. Probabilistic Power Spectral Density (PPSD) from OBS station showed microtremor in the period 0.06 – 0.7 s, secondary microseismic peak in the period 0.9 – 2 s, secondary microseismic peak in the period 4 – 8 s, and hum in the period more than 10 s. The amplitude of the noise power is in the range of New Low Noise Model (NLNM) and New High Noise Model (NHNM) for a period <10 s and slightly above NHNM for a period >10 s for OBS IGGCAS F-type. For OBS IGGCAS G-type, the noise power amplitude is in the period < 0.7 s in the NLNM and NHNM ranges. However, there is a tendency for the noise power amplitude to be flat with an amplitude above NHNM for a period > 0.7 s. The noise power’s amplitude depends on the station’s location, climate, instruments, daily variations, and seasonal variations. Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) in the North Makassar Strait shows an H/V curve with an unclear peak in the middle of the strait and multiple peaks in the eastern part of the strait with a frequency range of 1.35 – 4.7 Hz. Between the Makassar Strait and the Celebes Sea, the H/V curve shows a flat peak and multiple peaks with a frequency range of 1.10 – 4.03 Hz. Meanwhile, in the Celebes Sea, the H/V curve shows an unclear peak (unclear peak) and several peaks (multiple peaks) with a frequency range of 0.65 – 6.25 Hz.

Shear-wave velocity determination by combining data from passive and active source field investigations in Kumamoto city, Japan

We present the 1D subsoil structure and local site effects at KUMA strong ground motion station in Kumamoto City, Japan. We analyze data from a field campaign conducted in the framework of the Blind Prediction BP1 test of the 6th IASPEI/IAEE International Symposium: Effects of Surface Geology on Seismic Motion. In parallel with other participants of the BP1 test, we process data from passive and active source measurements aiming to determine the shear-wave velocity, Vs, structure and the site response at KUMA station. Passive measurements are associated to five microtremor arrays. In each array, seven seismometers have been deployed in a common-center triangle shape, recording microtremors simultaneously for 1 to 2 h. The vertical component of microtremors was analyzed using the spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) method. Cross-correlation coefficients were computed for all station pairs available for each array. By fitting the average SPAC’s coefficients to the first-kind zero-order Bessel function, J0, and assuming that microtremors primarily comprise fundamental mode Rayleigh waves, phase velocity dispersion curves were determined. Phase velocity values for frequencies > 15 Hz were obtained from data of a close-by active source geophone profile. We integrated the data with those of the passive measurements and obtained an experimental phase velocity dispersion curve. The resulting curve shows low velocity variation, from 150 to 200 m/s, in the surface layers, whereas significant dispersion appears in frequencies below 2.5 Hz. By inverting this curve, we achieved to determine the 1D shear-wave velocity structure at KUMA station. Site response characteristics were determined by applying the Horizontal-to-Vertical-Spectral-Ratios method. Significantly amplified peaks in the frequency range between 0.3 to 1.5 Hz dominate HVSR spectral ratios. These peaks correspond to resonant frequencies of soils and originate from different impedance contrasts within the substratum of the site.Graphical

Comparison of a tailings material and a natural sand in seismic site response analyses

This article investigates the seismic response of a tailings sand material in the context of site response analysis. The computed response is contrasted with that obtained for an equivalent deposit consisting of a well-characterised natural sand. Initially, the fundamental properties of both materials are used to interpret and compare their behaviour in the framework of Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM). Subsequently, both materials' monotonic and cyclic responses are calibrated for an advanced bounding surface plasticity model. Finally, the impact of different calibration approaches is examined through site response analyses under a strong motion. This process identifies fundamental differences between the two geo-materials, impacting the single elements simulations, especially the accuracy of undrained cyclic triaxial tests. The site response analyses examined herein show the impact of the calibrations adopted for both materials in terms of acceleration response spectra, displacements, and excess of pore water pressures (PWP). Although a relatively deep phreatic surface is adopted, the cyclic resistance and permeability of both materials plays a dominant role in the site response characteristics, controlling the excess PWP generation and hence the non-linear behaviour in the soil deposit. Finally, parametric studies are also conducted to explore the impact of permeability of the sands in the site response.

Site response measurements and implications to soil liquefaction potential using microtremor H/V in Greater Metro Manila, Philippines

This research explores the use of microtremor horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (H/V) in obtaining site response characteristics and investigating its relationship with soil liquefaction potential in Greater Metro Manila. We performed single station microtremor measurements in 61 sites along with in situ geotechnical techniques to verify liquefaction potential. The resulting 238 spectral curves were classified according to dominant features and subsequently grouped with the calculated liquefaction potential index (LPI) of the soil. Based on a robust comparison of obtained primary parameters, it is revealed that the shape of the H/V curve, its predominant period and relative amplitude are fundamentally linked to the spatial variability and the shear strength of soils. Therefore, areas of high seismic demand can also have high liquefaction potential, and vice versa. We then correlated the predominant period with the LPI of the soil and extracted a boundary using simple statistical techniques to classify high and low potential for liquefaction subsequently validating its use as a complementary tool for rapid site-specific liquefaction assessment. Such findings are a novel contribution to liquefaction studies employing rapid techniques since the application of microtremors to liquefaction in the Philippines has not been practiced extensively.

Linear site-response characteristics at central and eastern U.S. seismic stations

Earthquake S waves can become trapped, or resonate, between the free surface and high-impedance basal layers, strongly contributing to site response at specific frequencies. Strong S-wave resonances have been observed in the central and eastern U.S., where many sites sit on unlithified sediments underlain by stiff bedrock. To evaluate S-wave resonances in this region, we calculated 1D linear site-responses at 89 seismic stations with developed S-wave velocity profiles into bedrock. We found that S-wave resonances at the fundamental and strongest (peak) modes occur across large ranges of frequencies, each spanning more than two orders of magnitude — 0.21–54.0 Hz and 0.29–71.5 Hz, respectively. Amplifications of ∼5 and ∼6 are common at the fundamental frequency and peak modes, respectively; the largest amplification calculated was 13.2. Using simple regression analyses, we evaluated the skills of six proxies derived from the S-wave velocity profiles to predict the frequencies and corresponding amplifications of the fundamental and peak modes. We found that the depths to the 1.0 km/s and 2.5 km/s horizons, consistent with other studies, and to the maximum impedance contrasts strongly correlate with the resonance frequencies and that the fundamental-mode and peak amplifications correlate with the maximum impedance ratios. Correlations improved for data subsets based on the number and magnitude of impedance ratios underlying the sites and are the strongest at sites underlain by a single impedance ratio of 3.0 or greater. Finally, we calculated the S-wave horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (HVSR) at each possible seismic station and found, consistent with other studies, that the first peak can be used to estimate fundamental-mode frequencies and the corresponding amplifications. Thus, S-wave HVSR, can provide useful estimates of the fundamental-mode linear site response parameters at sites lacking S-wave velocity profiles. Furthermore, S-wave HVSR curves appear to be useful to broadly categorize impedance-ratio profiles.

Preliminary analysis of nonlinear site response at the S-net seafloor sites during three Mw 7 class earthquakes

In this paper, we investigated the characteristics of nonlinear site response (NLSR) at 23 S-net seafloor sites using strong-motion records obtained during three Mw 7 class earthquakes that occurred directly beneath the network. During the earthquakes, horizontal peak accelerations as large values as 1,400 and 1700 cm/s2 were recorded at the land (KiK-net) and S-net stations, respectively. The S-net is a large-scale inline-type seafloor observation network for earthquake and tsunami in the Japan Trench area. Characterization of NLSR is important because, in most common cases, it can cause a reduction of higher frequency components and a shift of predominant site frequency to lower one. Obtaining high-quality strong-motion records at seafloor sites is extremely difficult and expensive. Some of the records from the three earthquakes used in this study were contaminated by the rotations of the sensor houses, resulting in the ramps and offsets after the arrival of strong S-wave phases. We used a time window of 10 s starting from the S-wave onset, that avoided the ramps and offsets mostly. Using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) technique, we found that the selected S-net sites might have experienced substantial degrees of NLSR during the three earthquakes with peak accelerations greater than about 60 cm/s2. To investigate that the obtained features of NLSR were realistic or not at the S-net sites, we examined the NLSR at nine KiK-net sites on land where high-quality strong-motion records were obtained. We found that the KiK-net sites experienced various degrees of NLSR during the three earthquakes, and the obtained characteristics of NLSR at the KiK-net and S-net sites were comparable. We found that the NLSR affected the ground motions at frequencies mainly higher than 1 Hz at both Kik-net and S-net sites. Despite these similarities, by analyzing the spectral ratios between two horizontal component records, we suspected that the induced rotations contributed to some extent in exaggerating the degree of NLSR at the S-net sites, primarily when the components perpendicular to the cable axes were used. We concluded that consideration of induced rotational effects is necessary to understand the NLSR at the S-net sites better.

Free-field soil response to bidirectional horizontal non-uniform ground motion from multi-point shaking table tests

This paper assesses the dynamic nonlinear free-field soil response under bidirectional horizontal non-uniform excitation through a series of multi-point 1 g shaking table tests. The soil bed was enclosed in an innovative soil box supported by an array of three shake tables and was subjected to uniform and non-uniform ground motions in one and two horizontal directions. The soil response to bidirectional and unidirectional excitations, both uniform and non-uniform, were compared and discussed in terms of acceleration time history and Fourier spectra, acceleration amplification factor and soil settlement, as well as shear stress-shear strain behavior. The comparison of soil responses to bidirectional and unidirectional shakings demonstrated that the trends of peak acceleration amplification factors are similar along soil depth, but the response difference between bidirectional and unidirectional shaking is increasingly higher along the soil profile towards the ground surface, especially for uniform excitation. The variations of soil settlement, shear stress-strain and damping curves under bidirectional excitation were similar to that under longitudinal excitation; however, they were much different than those observed under transverse excitation. The soil damping in Y-direction under non-uniform excitation was larger than that under uniform excitation. These different site response characteristics under bidirectional non-uniform excitation should be properly considered in the seismic design of extended infrastructure.

A New Model for Vertical-to-Horizontal Response Spectral Ratios for Central and Eastern North America

ABSTRACT It is a well-known fact that critical structures are required to be designed for the vertical effects of earthquake ground motions as well as the horizontal effects. We developed a new model for the spectral ratio of vertical-to-horizontal components of earthquakes (V/H ratio) for central and eastern North America (CENA). The proposed V/H ratio model has the advantage of considering the earthquake magnitude, source-to-site distance, and the shear-wave velocity of soil deposits in the upper 30 m of the site for peak ground acceleration and a wide range of spectral periods (0.01–10.0 s). The model evaluation is based on a comprehensive set of regression analysis of the compiled Next Generation Attenuation-East database of the available CENA recordings with M ≥ 3.4 and Rrup&amp;lt;1000 km. The median value of the geometric mean of the orthogonal horizontal motions rotated through all possible nonredundant rotation angles, known as the RotD50, is used along with the vertical component to perform regression using the nonlinear mixed-effect regression. We excluded the earthquakes and recording stations in the Gulf Coast region due to their different ground motion attenuation (Dreiling et al., 2014). To compute V/H ratios for the Gulf Coast region, we refer the readers to the study of Haji-Soltani et al. (2017). Moreover, we excluded the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program site class E sites from consideration because of their complex site response characteristics and their potential for nonlinear site effects. The predicted V/H ratios from the proposed model are compared with recently published V/H ratio models. We suggest our model to be used for developing the vertical response spectra for CENA sites.

Influence of extent of remedial ground densification on seismic site effects via 2-D site response analyses

Remedial ground densification techniques are widely employed in seismically active regions to mitigate geotechnical hazards and reduce the potential for damage to structures. These techniques can substantially modify the local soil conditions and the seismic site response characteristics of the profile. This study provides a quantitative insight into the local site amplification in remedially densified soils. Parametric site response analyses are performed using various subsoil conditions and extents of ground densification. The free-field site responses obtained with and without ground densification are compared using two-dimensional (2-D) finite element models. The results show that the frequency content of ground motions propagating in densified sites is modified, with a shift of soil response harmonics towards higher frequencies. When a densified crust is implemented with unimproved soft soil layers underneath, the PSAs at the ground surface are generally reduced, at frequencies between 5 and 10 Hz. However, the levels of de-amplification decrease as the depth of ground densification increases. In particular, the densification of the full depth of liquefiable soil layers leads to higher PSAs at the ground surface. The results presented provide a better understanding of the geometry and density of the improved zones that can lead to the amplification of ground surface motions in the frequency range of interest for building response, prior to investigating more complex problems that include soil-structure interaction.

Influence of seasonal soil temperature variation and global warming on the seismic response of frozen soils in permafrost regions

AbstractThere has been growing interest in seismic hazards in permafrost regions as development in those regions has increased. Because major infrastructure, such as natural gas pipelines, has been constructed in permafrost regions, it is necessary to evaluate the seismic safety of such a network system. As frozen soil's dynamic properties differ from those of its unfrozen state, the characteristics of seismic waves propagated through frozen soil layers in permafrost differ from those propagated through unfrozen soil. Thus, the dynamic properties and composition of frozen soil layers located between bedrock and the ground surface need to be realistically considered in evaluating the seismic hazards of permafrost regions. The frozen soil layer's composition greatly depends on soil temperatures which vary seasonally and are gradually increasing due to global warming, therefore it is necessary to consider soil temperature variation. In this study, comprehensive parametric site response analysis was carried out based on measured data regarding seasonal and annual temperature variation to investigate seismic hazards. The soil temperature variation between summer and winter and temperature increases due to global warming were the main considerations. The analysis results clearly show that the soil temperature variation significantly impacts seismic hazards in the permafrost region, leading to different site response characteristics than those in the non‐permafrost region.

The dynamic response of coseismic liquefaction-induced ruptures associated with the 2019Mw5.8 Mirpur, Pakistan, earthquake using HVSR measurements

The Mirpur area of Pakistan was severely damaged by extensive coseismic liquefaction following an earthquake of Mw5.8 on 24 September 2019. Villages within 6 km of the epicenter were adversely affected due to extensive coseismic liquefaction-induced surface and shallow subsurface deformations. The earthquake affected all types of buildings and key infrastructure (e.g., the Upper Jhelum Canal and the main Jhelum–Jatlan road). Field observations and associated effects are presented, including horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) data sets acquired from three sites to evaluate the site response characteristics of the liquefaction-affected soil profiles. As a result, rupture events strongly influenced spectral features (amplitude and frequency) and site-specific 1D shear-wave velocity profiles at sites S1 and S2. The dynamic behavior of HVSRs across ruptures at sites S1 and S2 corresponds to varied levels of seismic amplification, demonstrating the impact of liquefaction-induced ruptures of seismic origin on the site response that have not been reported previously in the literature. The consistent HVSR pattern of well-established high-frequency peaks at site S3 adjacent to partially damaged to completely collapsed buildings of different types further indicates the susceptibility of potential liquefaction hazard. These results agree with the surface liquefaction signatures in the field, revealed by inverted electrical resistivity tomography models in terms of liquified sand plugs, clay lenses and associated fractures, and increasing trends of radon concentration in the soil with decrease in the distance toward ruptures. Additionally, the successful application of HVSR as a cost-effective and speedy tool attests to the potential of the proposed approach in furnishing complementary information for better assessment of liquefaction hazards in the developing world, where financial constraints are a major issue. This can help with seismic hazard analysis and mitigation in the Mirpur area and may have applications in other seismically active regions of the world.

Capturing epistemic uncertainty in site response

The incorporation of local amplification factors (AFs) determined through site response analyses has become standard practice in site-specific probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). Another indispensable feature of the current state of practice in site-specific PSHA is the identification and quantification of all epistemic uncertainties that influence the final hazard estimates. Consequently, logic trees are constructed not only for seismic source characteristics and ground-motion models (GMMs) but also for the site AFs, the latter generally characterized by branches for alternative shear-wave velocity ( VS) profiles. However, in the same way that branch weights on alternative GMMs can give rise to unintentionally narrow distributions of predicted ground-motion amplitudes, the distribution of AFs obtained from a small number of weighted VS profiles will often be quite narrow at some oscillator frequencies. We propose an alternative approach to capturing epistemic uncertainty in site response in order to avoid such unintentionally constricted distributions of AFs using more complete logic trees for site response analyses. Nodes are included for all the factors that influence the calculated AFs, which may include shallow VS profiles, deeper VS profiles, depth of impedance contrasts, low-strain soil damping, and choice of modulus reduction and damping curves. Site response analyses are then executed for all branch combinations to generate a large number of frequency-dependent AFs. Finally, these are re-sampled as a discrete distribution with enough branches to capture the underlying distribution of AFs. While this approach improves the representation of epistemic uncertainty in the dynamic site response characteristics, modeling uncertainty in the AFs is not automatically captured in this way, for which reason it is also proposed that a minimum level of epistemic uncertainty should be imposed on the final distribution.

GIS-Based Optimum Geospatial Characterization for Seismic Site Effect Assessment in an Inland Urban Area, South Korea

Soil and rock characteristics are primarily affected by geological, geotechnical, and terrain variation with spatial uncertainty. Earthquake-induced hazards are also strongly influenced by site-specific seismic site effects associated with subsurface strata and soil stiffness. For reliable mapping of soil and seismic zonation, qualification and normalization of spatial uncertainties is required; this can be achieved by interactive refinement of a geospatial database with remote sensing-based and geotechnical information. In this study, geotechnical spatial information and zonation were developed while verifying database integrity, spatial clustering, optimization of geospatial interpolation, and mapping site response characteristics. This framework was applied to Daejeon, South Korea, to consider spatially biased terrain, geological, and geotechnical properties in an inland urban area. For developing the spatially best-matched geometry with remote sensing data at high spatial resolution, the hybrid model blended with two outlier detection methods was proposed and applied for geotechnical datasets. A multiscale grid subdivided by hot spot-based clusters was generated using the optimized geospatial interpolation model. A principal component analysis-based unified zonation map identified vulnerable districts in the central old downtown area based on the integration of the optimized geoprocessing framework. Performance of the geospatial mapping and seismic zonation was discussed with digital elevation model, geological map.

Site response assessment and ground conditions at King Saud University Campus, Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Site response characteristics have a significant influence on ground motion vibrations. To evaluate the site response effects at King Saud University campus, the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) technique has been applied at 45 sites with about 400-m spacing. The recording time was more than 1 h at each site with a sampling rate of 100 Hz. The data were processed and analyzed using Geopsy software to produce measurements of fundamental frequency and minimum site amplification factor. Moreover, shear-wave velocity down to 30-m depth has been acquired at 10 measuring sites in the campus. In addition, geotechnical borehole data were collected from four boreholes within the campus. Generally, in majority of sites the H/V curve for amplitude spectra displayed a clear peak, signifying the presence of a sharp soil–bedrock impedance contrast between alluvial deposits and underlying bedrock. It is indicated that the fundamental frequency ranges between 0.64 and 1.94 Hz. Given the measured resonance frequency of around 1 Hz, buildings located on the alluvium that have 5 stories in height could experience soil-structure resonance, while the amplification factor varies from 1.19 to 11.22 indicating localized zones having high vulnerability index due to the considerable thickness of alluvial deposits. Moreover, shear-wave velocity ranges between 320 m/s and 684 m/s revealing zones of stiff soil to very dense soil/or soft rock which is correlated well with the geotechnical parameters of borehole data. Based on these results, the ground conditions of near-surface sediments in the King Saud University campus indicate weak zones that led to ground subsidence resulting in differential settlements of foundations.

Seismic response of steep slopes inferred from ambient noise and accelerometer recordings: the case of Dadu River valley, China

Seismic site effects (local topographic/lithologic amplification, directivity phenomena) can have substantial impact on slope dynamic response and susceptibility to earthquake-induced failures. However, the instrumental data needed to quantify the site effects on slopes are still scarce. Here we investigate dynamic response of steep slopes in the Dadu River valley (Sichuan Province), one of the China's regions most struck by large magnitude earthquakes. We analyse ambient noise recordings acquired at the sites of a local accelerometer network established few years after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The analysis benefits from the application of a new technique that determines the ellipticity of Rayleigh waves present in noise wavefield from the instantaneous polarization analysis of the recorded signals. The technique is adapted for application to steep surface by rotating the noise recordings according to a reference having as axes the slope down-dip direction, the slope surface strike and the normal to the slope surface. This allows obtaining the curve of Rayleigh wave ellipticity as function of frequency, whose maxima provide information on site response characteristics, and leads to a more reliable identification of resonance phenomena on steep slopes (40° inclination). The results of the ambient noise analysis are consistent with the available accelerometer data and provide clear indication of significant resonance effects, with regard to their potential impact on local seismic slope stability. In particular, the slopes around the confluence of a local torrent with the Dadu River near the Lengzhuguan village exhibit strong site amplifications related to the presence of surficial deposits overlying intensely fractured granite bedrock. The frequency, amplitude and direction of resonance phenomena derived from the analysis of instrumental data indicate that site amplification is likely to have lesser impact on the stability of the lower part of the Mt. Dagang, which forms a long steep sub-planar slope facing the Dadu River. Our findings demonstrate that expeditious ambient noise recordings can provide useful information on relative susceptibility of slopes to seismically induced failures.

Peak ground motions and characteristics of nonlinear site response during the 2018 Mw 6.6 Hokkaido eastern Iburi earthquake

The observed peak ground accelerations and peak ground velocities (PGVs) of the 2018 Mw 6.6 Hokkaido eastern Iburi earthquake generally followed the median values from ground motion prediction equations with reasonable errors at fault distances ≥ 50 km. However, at smaller distances, the equations significantly underestimated the peak ground motions, and it was eminent for PGVs. A comparison of surface-to-borehole spectral ratios of S-waves during the mainshock and other events revealed that the sites at smaller distances experienced various degrees of nonlinear site response. The two most widely known characteristics of nonlinear site response are the weakening of higher-frequency components and shifting of predominant frequencies to lower ones in comparison with the linear site response. At one of the sites that recorded the largest intensity of 7 in JMA scale of 0–7, the latter nonlinear effect was so dominant that the ground motions around the new predominant frequency got intensified by one order of magnitude in comparison with that during the weak-motions. Two sites, which were closely located, recorded vertical peak ground accelerations exceeding 1 g for the up-going motions. The recordings showed asymmetric waveforms and amplitudes characteristics of the nonlinear site response in extreme vertical ground motions recorded during a few earthquakes in the past. Few sites having lower vertical peak ground accelerations were also suspected of being experienced nonlinear site response on vertical motions. These findings suggest taking a cautious approach to enumerate the reduction in amplification at higher frequencies using the single-station horizontal-to-vertical (H-to-V) spectral ratio technique. However, we found that the H-to-V technique was still useful to detect nonlinearity. Finally, an ad hoc equation was derived to correct the nonlinear site amplification in predicting horizontal PGVs with respect to one of the most widely used attenuation models in Japan. The results indicated that the effect was much stronger for a larger input motion than that for a proportional change in the Vs30 values.

Microtremor study for evaluating the site response characteristics in the Surat City of western India

The Surat City, which is the second most populated city in the state of Gujarat in western India, warrants site-specific seismic hazard assessment due to its rapid urbanization and proximity to major seismogenic zones. This study reports results of microtremor investigations at 72 single stations and 4 arrays in an area of 325 km2 spanning the city. The resonant frequencies, associated peak amplification values and liquefaction vulnerability indices were deduced from the horizontal to vertical spectral ratios. Ground amplification (AHVSR) in the range of 3.0–5.0 was observed in the 2.0–4.0-Hz frequency band at most of the sites. A secondary AHVSR between 2.0 and 3.0 is also observed in the 6.0–7.0-Hz frequency band at a few sites. Locales that are most susceptible to liquefaction are identified based on their vulnerability index (K g) exceeding the value of 10. The shear wave velocities (V s) ≥ 500 m/s inferred from array measurements occur at 38 m depth in the western part and ~16 m depth in the eastern part of city. The response spectra estimated from strong motion data recorded at an accelerograph site in Surat from three earthquakes of M w ≥ 3.2 that occurred in Kachchh, Saurashtra and Narmada regions are in accordance with our inferences of characteristic site frequencies and amplification. Our results, in agreement with the damage scenario during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, provide valuable inputs for site-specific seismic hazard evaluation of the Surat City.

SUBSURFACE VELOCITY MODEL FROM INVERSION OF H/V SPECTRAL RATIO OF AMBIENT NOISE RECORDS

Abstract The Horizontal-to-Vertical (H/V) spectral ratio method uses continuous ambient noise records has been used extensively to study the characteristics of site response due to the earthquake occurrence. Sources of ambient noise are usually from human activities or natural excitations and might be composed of body and surface wave components. Several studies have investigated the possibility to extract information on the shallow subsurface model from the inversion of H/V spectral ratio. In this study, we investigated the shallow subsurface velocity model below two broadband seismometers at Simeulue Island, Aceh. Two broadband seismometers of PUTR and LEWK were selected because of the relatively clear peak amplitude of H/V spectral ratios, which may reflect the existence of strong impedance contrast. The initial models are set to be fixed of five homogeneous medium layers with the last medium to be infinite homogeneous medium. By setting fixed layer boundaries in the inversion process, the velocities in the medium may vary to obtain the most suitable fitting to the observed H/V spectral ratio. From the inversion process, we suggest we suggest that the strong impedance contrasts may occur on the shallow part of the medium at 2 up to 15 m depth. Keywords: ambient noise records, H/V spectral ratio, inversion process.

Site correction of a high-frequency strong-ground-motion simulation based on an empirical transfer function

In this study, an empirical transfer function (ETF), which is the spectrum difference in Fourier amplitude spectra between observed strong ground motion and synthetic motion obtained by a stochastic point-source simulation technique, is constructed for the Taipei Basin, Taiwan. The basis stochastic point-source simulations can be treated as reference rock site conditions in order to consider site effects. The parameters of the stochastic point-source approach related to source and path effects are collected from previous well-verified studies. A database of shallow, small-magnitude earthquakes is selected to construct the ETFs so that the point-source approach for synthetic motions might be more widely applicable. The high-frequency synthetic motion obtained from the ETF procedure is site-corrected in the strong site-response area of the Taipei Basin. The site-response characteristics of the ETF show similar responses as in previous studies, which indicates that the base synthetic model is suitable for the reference rock conditions in the Taipei Basin. The dominant frequency contour corresponds to the shape of the bottom of the geological basement (the top of the Tertiary period), which is the Sungshan formation. Two clear high-amplification areas are identified in the deepest region of the Sungshan formation, as shown by an amplification contour of 0.5Hz. Meanwhile, a high-amplification area was shifted to the basin’s edge, as shown by an amplification contour of 2.0Hz. Three target earthquakes with different kinds of source conditions, including shallow small-magnitude events, shallow and relatively large-magnitude events, and deep small-magnitude events relative to the ETF database, are tested to verify site correction. The results indicate that ETF-based site correction is effective for shallow earthquakes, even those with higher magnitudes, but is not suitable for deep earthquakes. Finally, one of the most significant shallow large-magnitude earthquakes (the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan) is verified in this study. A finite fault stochastic simulation technique is applied, owing to the complexity of the fault rupture process for the Chi-Chi earthquake, and the ETF-based site-correction function is multiplied to obtain a precise simulation of high-frequency (up to 10Hz) strong motions. The high-frequency prediction has good agreement in both time and frequency domain in this study, and the prediction level is the same as that predicted by the site-corrected ground motion prediction equation.