Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by CAMPBELL, K. W. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

The dependence of peak horizontal acceleration on magnitude, distance, and site effects for small-magnitude earthquakes in California and Eastern North America

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, BOX 25046, MS 966DENVER FEDERAL CENTER, DENVER, COLORADO 80225

Abstract

One-hundred and ninety free-field accelerograms recorded on deep soil (> 10 m deep) were used to study the near-source scaling characteristics of peak horizontal acceleration for 91 earthquakes (2.5 M_L 5.0) located primarily in California. Of the six attenuation relationships developed in this study, the one considered most reliable is given by the expression:

where PHA is the mean of the two horizontal components of peak acceleration in g, M_L is local magnitude, R is epicentral distance in kilometers, and is a random error term with mean of zero and standard deviation of 0.506. An analysis of residuals based on an additional 171 near-source accelerograms from 75 earthquakes indicated that accelerograms recorded in building basements sited on deep soil have 30 per cent lower accelerations, and that free-field accelerograms recorded on shallow soil ( 10 m deep) have 82 per cent higher accelerations than free-field accelerograms recorded on deep soil. Accelerations recorded on rock were found to be similar in amplitude to those recorded on deep soil. A separate analysis of site effects for the Imperial Valley and Oroville regions of California indicated that peak accelerations from individual sites can depart significantly from predictions based on broad site classifications. An analysis of residuals based on 27 selected strong-motion recordings from 19 earthquakes in Eastern North America indicated that near-source accelerations associated with frequencies less than about 25 Hz are consistent with predictions based on attenuation relationships derived for California, once site effects and differences in regional magnitude scales are taken into account.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Massa, P. Morasca, L. Moratto, S. Marzorati, G. Costa, and D. Spallarossa Empirical Ground-Motion Prediction Equations for Northern Italy Using Weak- and Strong-Motion Amplitudes, Frequency Content, and Duration Parameters Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 2008; 98(3): 1319 - 1342. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. L. Bragato and D. Slejko Empirical Ground-Motion Attenuation Relations for the Eastern Alps in the Magnitude Range 2.5-6.3 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 2005; 95(1): 252 - 276. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Lee, J. G. Anderson, and Y. Zeng Evaluation of Empirical Ground-Motion Relations in Southern California Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2000; 90(6B): S136 - S148. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. I. Husein Malkawi and K. J. Fahmi Locally derived earthquake ground motion attenuation relations for Jordan and conterminous areas Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, November 1, 1996; 29(4): 309 - 319. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. BUNGUM and A. ALSAKER Source spectral scaling inversion for two earthquake sequences offshore western Norway Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 1991; 81(2): 358 - 378. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. ALSAKER, L. B. KVAMME, R. A. HANSEN, A. DAHLE, and H. BUNGUM The ML scale in Norway Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 1991; 81(2): 379 - 398. [Abstract] [PDF]