Abstract
An alternative seismic shaking vulnerability survey method to computational intensive theoretical modelling of site response to earthquake, and time consuming test versus reference site horizontal ratio methods, is described. The methodology is suitable for small to large scale engineering investigations. Relative seismic shaking vulnerability microzonation using an adaptation of the Nakamura horizontal to vertical spectral ratio method provides many advantages over alternative methods including: low cost; rapid field phase (100 km2 can easily be covered by a single operator in 5 days); low and flexible instrumentation requirements (a single seismometer and data logger of almost any type is required); field data can be collected at any time during the day or night (the results are insensitive to ambient social noise); no basement rock reference site is required (thus eliminating trigger synchronisation between reference and multiple test site seismographs); rapid software aided analysis; insensitivity to ground-shaking resonance peaks; ability to compare results obtained from non-contiguous survey fields. The methodology is described in detail, and a practical case study is provided, including mapped results. The resulting microzonation maps indicate the relative seismic shaking vulnerability for built structures of different height categories within adjacent zones, with a resolution of approximately 1 km.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bragato P L and Slejko D 2005 Empirical Ground-Motion Attenuation Relations for the Eastern Alps in the Magnitude Range 2.5–6.3; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 95(1) 252–276.
Chávez-García F J, Sánchez L R and Hatzfeld D 1996 Topographic Site Effects and HVSR. A Comparison Between Observations and Theory; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(5) 1559–1573.
Chávez-García F J, Rodríguez M, Field E H and Hatzfeld D 1997 Topographic site effects. A comparison of two nonreference methods; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 87(6) 1667–1673.
Chávez-García F J, Domínguez T, Rodríguez M and Pérez F 2007 Site Effects in a Volcanic Environment: A Comparison between HVSR and Array Techniques at Colima, Mexico; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 97(2) 591–604.
Clitheroe G M and Taber J J 1995 Assessing earthquake site response using Microtremors: A case study in Wellington City, New Zealand; Pacific Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Australia, 20–22 November, 1995.
Coutel F and Mora P 1998 Simulation-based comparison of four site-response estimation techniques; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 88(1) 30–40.
Cuthbertson R, Winter M and Jaume S 1998 Preliminary results of Brisbane microtremor survey; Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, Proceedings of the 1998 Conference, Perth, Western Australia, Paper 12, 1998. ISBN 0-7340-1442-2. (Also presented at the 2nd Annual AGSO Cities Project Workshop, Townsville, 8 July 1998.)
Darragh R B and Shakal A F 1991 The Site Response of Two Rock and Soil Station Pairs to String and Weak Ground Motion; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 81(5) 1885–1899.
Dimitriu P P, Papaioannou Ch A and Theodulidis N P 1998 EURO-SEISTEST Strong-Motion Array near Thessaloniki, Northern Greece: A Study of Site Effects; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 88(3) 862–873.
Dravinski M, Ding G and Wen K-L 1996 Analysis of Spectral Ratios for Estimating Ground Motion in Deep Basins; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(3) 646–654.
Drouet S, Souriau A and Cotton F 2005 Attenuation, Seismic Moments, and Site Effects for Weak-Motion Events: Application to the Pyrenees; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 95(5) 1731–1748.
Ferretti G, Massa M, Isella L and Eva C 2007 Site-Amplification Effects Based on Teleseismic Wave Analysis: The Case of the Pellice Valley, Piedmont Italy; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 97(2) 605–613.
Ferritto J M 1996 Repeatability of Microseism Measurements in Port Hueneme Case Study; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(2) 428–435.
Field E H and Jacob K H 1995 A Comparison and Test of Various Site-Response Estimation Techniques, Including Three That Are Not Reference-Site Dependent; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 85(4) 1127–1143.
Field E H 1996 Spectral Amplification in a Sediment-Filled Valley Exhibiting Clear Basin-Edge-InducedWaves; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(4) 991–1005.
Gaull B A, Kagami H and Taniguchi H 1995 The Microzonation of Perth, Western Australia, Using Microtremor Spectral Ratios; Earthquake Spectra 11(2) 173–191.
Hema 1997 Bundaberg including Bargara, Elliott Heads, Burnett Heads and Moore Park, Hema Maps Pty. Ltd., 3rd edn.
Jensen V H 2000 Seismic microzonation in Australia; J. Asian Earth Sci. 18(1) 3–15.
Jones T, Laume S, Granger K, Scott G and Cuthbertson R 1998 Earthquake risk in Cairns: A pilot study, Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, Proceedings of the 1998 Conference, Perth, Western Australia, Paper 11, 1998. ISBN 0-7340-1442-2. (Also in QUAKES Report #3, October 1998.)
Kagami H, Okada S, Shiono K, Oner M, Dravinski M and Mal A K 1986 Observation of 1-5-second Mocrotremors and their Application to Earthquake Engineering. Part III. A Two-Dimensional Study of Stie Effects in the San Fernando Valley; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 76(6) 1801–1812.
Konno K and Ohmachi T 1998 Ground-Motion Characteristics Estimated from Spectral Ratio between Horizontal and Vertical Components of Microtremor; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 88(1) 228–241.
Lachet C, Hatzfeld D, Bard P-Y, Theodulidis N, Papaioannou C and Savvaidis A 1996 Site effects and microzonation in the city of Thessaloniki (Greece) comparison of different approaches; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(6) 1692–1703.
Lermo J and Chávez-García F J 1993 Site Effect Evaluation Using Spectral Ratios with Only One Station; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 83(5) 1574–1594.
Lermo J and Chávez-García F J 1994 Are Microtremors Useful in Site Response Evaluation?; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 84(5) 1350–1364.
McCue K F and Boreham B W 1996 Microzonation for an earthquake risk assessment at Rockhampton Queensland and implications for AS1170.4; Australian Cival/Structural Engineering Transactions CE39(1) 365–376.
McCue K and Love D 1997 Microtremor Survey of Adelaide, Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, Proceedings of the 1997 Conference, Brisbane, Queensland, Paper 19, 1997. ISBN 0-7325-1072-4.
Malagnini L, Tricarico P, Rovelli A, Herrmann R B, Opice S, Biella G and Franco Rde 1996 Explosion, Earthquake, and Ambient Noise Recordings in a Pliocene Sediment-Filled Valley: Inferences on Seismic Response Properties by Reference- and Non-Reference-Site Techniques; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(3) 670–682.
Michael-Leiba M and Jensen V 1999 Seismic Microzonation of Launceston, Tasmania; Australian Geological Survey brochure, undated Circa 1999.
Milana G, Barba S, Del Pezzo E and Zambonelli E 1996 Site Response from Ambient Noise Measurements: New Perspectives from an Array Study in Central Italy; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(2) 320–328.
Nakamura Y 1989 A Method for Dynamic Characteristics Estimation of Subsurface using Microtremor on the Ground Surface; Quarterly Report of Railway Technical Research Institute 30(1) 25–33.
Rynn J M W 1985 A Reapraisal of Queensland’s Largest Known Earthquake — The “Queensland” Earthquake of 6 June 1918, Magnitude ML 6.2, Private Paper, Circa 1985-86.
SAA 1993(a) AS 1170.4-1993 Minimum design loads on structures (known as the SAA Loading Code) Part 4: Earthquake loads, Standards Association of Australia, 1993. ISBN 0-7262-8297-9.
SAA 1993(b) AS 1170.4 Supp1-1993 Minimum design loads on structures (known as the SAA Loading Code) Part 4: Earthquake loads Commentary (Supplement to AS 1170.4-1993), Standards Association of Australia, 1993. ISBN 0-7262-8298-7.
Schlindwein V and Koch K 2003 A Quantitative Study of the Site Effects Observed at the GERESS Array; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 93(3) 1051–1064.
Seekins L C, Wennerberg L, Margheriti L and Liu H-P 1996 Site Amplification at Five Locations in San Francisco, California: A Comparison of S Waves, Codas, and Microtremors; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(3) 627–635.
Seht M I-V and Wohlenberg J 1999 Microtremor Measurements Used to Map Thickness of Soft Sediments; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 89(1) 250–259.
Somerville M R, Kagami H and McCue K F 1993 Seismic Amplification Determined from Microtremor Monitoring at Alluvial and Rock Sites in Newcastle; Bulletin of the New Zealand National Society for Earthquake Engineering 26(2) 175–184.
Steidl J H, Tumarkin A G and Archuleta R J 1996 What is a Reference Site?; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(6) 1733–1748.
Theodulidis N, Bard P-Y, Archuleta R and Bouchon M 1996 Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral ratio and Geological Conditions: The Case of Garner Valley Downhole Array in Southern California; Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86(2) 306–319.
Turnbull M L 2001 A Seismic Hazard Assessment and Microzonation of Bundaberg; Master’s Thesis, Central Queensland University, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Systems, Published online, April 2001. Available online at http://seismo.cqu.edu.au/CQSRG/staff/MikeT/publications/BundyMZ.pdf. Accessed 24 September 2007.
Wen K-L, Beresnev I G and Yeh Y T 1995(a) Investigation of non-linear site amplification at two downhole strong ground motion arrays in Taiwan; Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 24(3) 313–324, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Wen K-L, Peng H-Y, Lui L-F and Shin T-C 1995(b) Basin Effects Analysis from a Dense Strong Motion Observation Network; Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 24(8) 1069–1083, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Turnbull, M.L. Relative seismic shaking vulnerability microzonation using an adaptation of the Nakamura horizontal to vertical spectral ratio method. J Earth Syst Sci 117 (Suppl 2), 879–895 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-008-0074-2
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-008-0074-2