|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| JOURNAL HOME | HELP | CONTACT PUBLISHER | SUBSCRIBE | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
GEOPHYSICAL INSTITUTE SLOVAK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, DÙBRAVSKÁ CESTA, 842 28 BRATISLAVA, CZECHOSLOVAKIA
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, EDMONTON, ALBERTA T6G 2J1 Canada
LABORATOIRE DE GÉOPHYSIQUE INTERNE ET TECTONOPHYSIQUE OBSERVATOIRE DE GRENOBLE UNIVERSITÉ JOSEPH FOURIER, IRIGM, BP 53 X, 38041 GRENOBLE CEDEX, France
LABORATOIRE CENTRAL DES PONTS-ET-CHAUSSÉS, 58 BD LEFEBVRE, 75732 PARIS CEDEX 15, France
Abstract
Macroseismic observations during various historical and recent earthquakes consistently show an increase of damage on narrow stripes located along strong lateral discontinuities, i.e., along contacts between two materials with very different rigidities. This paper presents a series of numerical investigations into this issue. The model consists of a semi-infinite planar, soft layer embedded in a stiffer bedrock, and impinged upon by vertically incident plane SH waves. Computations are based on a finite-difference scheme including anelastic attenuation. Two basic phenomena are observed on such simple lateral discontinuities: the well-known 1D (vertical) resonance, and an efficient wave diffraction from the discontinuity towards the softer side. They induce frequency-dependent amplification and a significant differential motion. A parameter study considering various impedance contrast and damping values shows that the amplification is primarily controlled by the impedance contrast, and to a lesser degree by sediment damping. The amplitude exhibits a slight maximum near the discontinuity, but always remains comparable (within 30%) to the 1D value. Differential motion is also controlled by the impedance contrast. It always exhibits a sharp peak in the immediate vicinity of the discontinuity, the level of which does not depend on sediment damping, and reaches significant values even for moderate incident motion. It is concluded that reported observations of increased damage near such geological structures are very likely connected with effects of differential motion on structures.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
L. Lenti, S. Martino, A. Paciello, and G. Scarascia Mugnozza Evidence of Two-Dimensional Amplification Effects in an Alluvial Valley (Valnerina, Italy) from Velocimetric Records and Numerical Models Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 2009; 99(3): 1612 - 1635. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
The Basin-Edge Effect from Weak Ground Motions Across the Fault-Bounded Edge of the Lower Hutt Valley, New Zealand Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2003; 93(6): 2703 - 2716. |
||||
![]() |
Earthquake Ground-Motion Scaling in Central Mexico between 0.7 and 7 Hz Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 2003; 93(1): 397 - 413. |
||||
![]() |
Edge-Diffracted 1-Sec Surface Waves Observed in a Small-Size Intramountain Basin (Colfiorito, Central Italy) Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2001; 91(6): 1851 - 1866. |
||||
![]() |
Qualitative Effects of Local Geology on Damage Pattern Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2000; 90(6): 1543 - 1548. |
||||
![]() |
A. Pitarka, K. Irikura, T. Iwata, and H. Sekiguchi Three-dimensional simulation of the near-fault ground motion for the 1995 Hyogo-Ken Nanbu (Kobe), Japan, earthquake Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 1998; 88(2): 428 - 440. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. Moczo, E. Bystricky, J. Kristek, J. M. Carcione, and M. Bouchon Hybrid modeling of P-SV seismic motion at inhomogeneous viscoelastic topographic structures Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 1997; 87(5): 1305 - 1323. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. Moczo, P. Labak, J. Kristek, and F. Hron Amplification and differential motion due to an antiplane 2D resonance in the sediment valleys embedded in a layer over the half-space Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 1996; 86(5): 1434 - 1446. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. Malagnini, P. Tricarico, A. Rovelli, R. B. Herrmann, S. Opice, G. Biella, and R. de Franco Explosion, earthquake, and ambient noise recordings in a Pliocene sediment-filled valley: Inferences on seismic response properties by reference- and non-reference-site techniques Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 1996; 86(3): 670 - 682. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Bouchon and O. Coutant Calculation of synthetic seismograms in a laterally varying medium by the boundary element-discrete wavenumber method Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 1994; 84(6): 1869 - 1881. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
| JOURNAL HOME | HELP | CONTACT PUBLISHER | SUBSCRIBE | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |