Within-Station Variability in Kappa: Evidence of Directionality Effects

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 1247-1259
Author(s):  
Chunyang Ji ◽  
Ashly Cabas ◽  
Fabrice Cotton ◽  
Marco Pilz ◽  
Dino Bindi

ABSTRACT One of the most commonly used parameters to describe seismic attenuation is the high-frequency spectral decay parameter Kappa (κr), yet the physics behind it remain little understood. A better understanding of potential factors that lead to large scatter in estimated values of κr constitutes a critical need for ground-motion modeling and seismic hazard assessment at large. Most research efforts to date have focused on studying the site-to-site and model-to-model variability of κ, but the uncertainties in individual κr estimations associated with different events at a selected site (which we refer to as the within-station variability of κr) remain uncharacterized. As a direct corollary, obtaining robust estimates of the site-specific component κ0, and their corresponding interpretation become a challenge. To understand the sources of the variability observed in κr (and κ0) at a single site, we select 10 Japanese Kiban–Kyoshin network (KiK-net) downhole arrays and investigate the systematic contributions from ground-motion directionality. We observe that κr estimated from a single horizontal component is orientation dependent. In addition, the influence of ground-motion directionality is a function of local site conditions. We propose an orientation-independent κr-value, which is not affected either by ground-motion directionality or by the events’ azimuths. In addition, we find that focal depth of events used in κr calculations affects the estimation of the regional attenuation component κR, which, in turn, influences the within-station variability in the κ0 model.

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 471-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha M. Palmer ◽  
Gail M. Atkinson

ABSTRACT Spectral decay of ground-motion amplitudes at high frequencies is primarily influenced by two parameters: site-related kappa (κ0) and regional Q (quality factor, inversely proportional to anelastic attenuation). We examine kappa and apparent Q-values (Qa) for M≥3.5 earthquakes recorded at seismograph stations on rock sites in eastern and western Canada. Our database contains 20 earthquakes recorded on nine stations in eastern Canada and 404 earthquakes recorded on eight stations in western Canada, resulting in 105 and 865 Fourier amplitude spectra, respectively. We apply two different methods: (1) a modified version of the classical S-wave acceleration method; and (2) a new stacking method that is consistent with the use of kappa in ground-motion modeling. The results are robust with respect to the method used and also with respect to the frequency band selected, which ranges from 9 to 38 Hz depending on the region, event, and method. Kappa values obtained from the classical method are consistent with those of the stacked method, but the stacked method provides a lower uncertainty. A general observation is that kappa is usually larger, and apparent Q is smaller, for the horizontal component in comparison to the vertical component. We determine an average regional κ0=7  ms (horizontal) and 0 ms (vertical) for rock sites in eastern Canada; we obtain κ0=19  ms (horizontal) and 14 ms (vertical) for rock sites in western Canada. We note that kappa measurements are quite sensitive to details of data selection criteria and methodology, and may be significantly influenced by site effects, resulting in large site-to-site variability.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenming Wang ◽  
David T. Butler ◽  
Edward W. Woolery ◽  
Lanmin Wang

A scenario seismic hazard analysis was performed for the city of Tianshui. The scenario hazard analysis utilized the best available geologic and seismological information as well as composite source model (i.e., ground motion simulation) to derive ground motion hazards in terms of acceleration time histories, peak values (e.g., peak ground acceleration and peak ground velocity), and response spectra. This study confirms that Tianshui is facing significant seismic hazard, and certain mitigation measures, such as better seismic design for buildings and other structures, should be developed and implemented. This study shows that PGA of 0.3 g (equivalent to Chinese intensity VIII) should be considered for seismic design of general building and PGA of 0.4 g (equivalent to Chinese intensity IX) for seismic design of critical facility in Tianshui.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1420-1439
Author(s):  
Albert R Kottke ◽  
Norman A Abrahamson ◽  
David M Boore ◽  
Yousef Bozorgnia ◽  
Christine A Goulet ◽  
...  

Traditional ground-motion models (GMMs) are used to compute pseudo-spectral acceleration (PSA) from future earthquakes and are generally developed by regression of PSA using a physics-based functional form. PSA is a relatively simple metric that correlates well with the response of several engineering systems and is a metric commonly used in engineering evaluations; however, characteristics of the PSA calculation make application of scaling factors dependent on the frequency content of the input motion, complicating the development and adaptability of GMMs. By comparison, Fourier amplitude spectrum (FAS) represents ground-motion amplitudes that are completely independent from the amplitudes at other frequencies, making them an attractive alternative for GMM development. Random vibration theory (RVT) predicts the peak response of motion in the time domain based on the FAS and a duration, and thus can be used to relate FAS to PSA. Using RVT to compute the expected peak response in the time domain for given FAS therefore presents a significant advantage that is gaining traction in the GMM field. This article provides recommended RVT procedures relevant to GMM development, which were developed for the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA)-East project. In addition, an orientation-independent FAS metric—called the effective amplitude spectrum (EAS)—is developed for use in conjunction with RVT to preserve the mean power of the corresponding two horizontal components considered in traditional PSA-based modeling (i.e., RotD50). The EAS uses a standardized smoothing approach to provide a practical representation of the FAS for ground-motion modeling, while minimizing the impact on the four RVT properties ( zeroth moment, [Formula: see text]; bandwidth parameter, [Formula: see text]; frequency of zero crossings, [Formula: see text]; and frequency of extrema, [Formula: see text]). Although the recommendations were originally developed for NGA-East, they and the methodology they are based on can be adapted to become portable to other GMM and engineering problems requiring the computation of PSA from FAS.


1997 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 356-369
Author(s):  
Takumi Toshinawa ◽  
J. John Taber ◽  
John B. Berrill

Abstract The areal distribution of seismic ground-motion intensity in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, during the 1994 Arthurs Pass Earthquake (ML 6.6) was evaluated using an intensity questionnaire together with local site amplifications inferred from seismic recordings and microtremors. In order to estimate the intensity in parts of the city where no intensity data were available, intensity data were compared to relative levels of shaking determined from both weak-motion and microtremor recordings. Weak ground-motion amplification factors were determined using ratios of ground accelerations at five sediment sites with respect to a rock site. Microtremor amplification factors were determined from horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios at a 1-km spacing throughout the city. A positive correlation between weak-motion and microtremor amplification factors allowed extrapolation of microtremor amplification to estimated MM intensity (EMMI). EMMI ranged from 3 to 6 and was consistent with the questionnaire intensity and geological conditions and showed detailed information on the areal distribution of ground-motion intensity in the city.


Author(s):  
Sarah Azar ◽  
Mayssa Dabaghi

ABSTRACT The use of numerical simulations in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) has achieved a promising level of reliability in recent years. One example is the CyberShake project, which incorporates physics-based 3D ground-motion simulations within seismic hazard calculations. Nonetheless, considerable computational time and resources are required due to the significant processing requirements imposed by source-based models on one hand, and the large number of seismic sources and possible rupture variations on the other. This article proposes to use a less computationally demanding simulation-based PSHA framework for CyberShake. The framework can accurately represent the seismic hazard at a site, by only considering a subset of all the possible earthquake scenarios, based on a Monte-Carlo simulation procedure that generates earthquake catalogs having a specified duration. In this case, ground motions need only be simulated for the scenarios selected in the earthquake catalog, and hazard calculations are limited to this subset of scenarios. To validate the method and evaluate its accuracy in the CyberShake platform, the proposed framework is applied to three sites in southern California, and hazard calculations are performed for earthquake catalogs with different lengths. The resulting hazard curves are then benchmarked against those obtained by considering the entire set of earthquake scenarios and simulations, as done in CyberShake. Both approaches yield similar estimates of the hazard curves for elastic pseudospectral accelerations and inelastic demands, with errors that depend on the length of the Monte-Carlo catalog. With 200,000 yr catalogs, the errors are consistently smaller than 5% at the 2% probability of exceedance in 50 yr hazard level, using only ∼3% of the entire set of simulations. Both approaches also produce similar disaggregation patterns. The results demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach in a simulation-based PSHA platform like CyberShake and as a ground-motion selection tool for seismic demand analyses.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aybige Akinci ◽  
Daniele Cheloni ◽  
AHMET ANIL DINDAR

Abstract On 30 October 2020 a MW 7.0 earthquake occurred in the eastern Aegean Sea, between the Greek island of Samos and Turkey’s Aegean coast, causing considerable seismic damage and deaths, especially in the Turkish city of Izmir, approximately 70 km from the epicenter. In this study, we provide a detailed description of the Samos earthquake, starting from the fault rupture to the ground motion characteristics. We first use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Global Positioning System (GPS) data to constrain the source mechanisms. Then, we utilize this information to analyze the ground motion characteristics of the mainshock in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground velocity (PGV), and spectral pseudo-accelerations. Modelling of geodetic data shows that the Samos earthquake ruptured a NNE-dipping normal fault located offshore north of Samos, with up to 2.5-3 m of slip and an estimated geodetic moment of 3.3 ⨯ 1019 Nm (MW 7.0). Although low PGA were induced by the earthquake, the ground shaking was strongly amplified in Izmir throughout the alluvial sediments. Structural damage observed in Izmir reveals the potential of seismic risk due to the local site effects. To better understand the earthquake characteristics, we generated and compared stochastic strong ground motions with the observed ground motion parameters as well as the ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs), exploring also the efficacy of the region-specific parameters which may be improved to better predict the expected ground shaking from future large earthquakes in the region.


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