Site Effects for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadahiro Kishida ◽  
Ross W. Boulanger ◽  
Norman A. Abrahamson ◽  
Michael W. Driller ◽  
Timothy M. Wehling

Seismic site response and site effects models are presented for levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta where the subsurface soils include thick deposits of highly organic soils. Sources of uncertainty that contribute to the variation of seismic wave amplification are investigated, including variations in the input ground motions, soil profiles, and dynamic soil properties through Monte Carlo simulations of equivalent-linear site response analyses. Regression models for seismic wave amplification for levees in the Delta are presented that range from a function of peak outcrop acceleration alone to a vector of response spectra ordinates and soil profile parameters. The site effects models were incorporated into a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for a representative location, and the relative impacts of the various models on the computed hazard are evaluated.

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 557-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadahiro Kishida ◽  
Ross W. Boulanger ◽  
Norman A. Abrahamson ◽  
Michael W. Driller ◽  
Timothy M. Wehling

The seismic response of levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where the subsurface soils include thick deposits of highly organic soils, is evaluated. One-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) equivalent-linear analyses were performed that accounted for variability in ground motions, dynamic properties, and soil profiles. Regression models were developed for: (1) the ratio of spectral accelerations at levee crests computed by 2-D versus 1-D response analyses, (2) stress reduction factors from 1-D site response analyses and seismic coefficient reduction factors for various failure surface depths from the 2-D response analyses, and (3) Newmark sliding block displacements computed for the input NEHRP site D ground motions and the computed seismic coefficient time series. The results of these regression models are compared to those obtained in previous studies involving different soil conditions, geometries, and motions. Newmark sliding block displacement hazard curves were calculated for a representative site in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and the contributions of various uncertainties to the displacement hazard curves are described.


2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Yang ◽  
Tadanobu Sato ◽  
Xiang-Song Li

Recently there has been an increased interest in the study of the nonlinearity in soil response for large strains through in situ earthquake observations. In this paper, the downhole array acceleration data recorded at a reclaimed island, Kobe, during the 1995 Kobe earthquake are used to study nonlinear site effects. Particular attention is given to the liquefaction-induced nonlinear effects on the recorded ground motions. By using the spectral ratio and the spectral-smoothing technique, the characteristics of the ground motions are analyzed. It is shown that the peak frequencies in spectral ratios were shifted to lower frequencies when the strongest motions occurred. The increase in the predominant period was caused primarily by a strong attenuation of low-period waves, rather than by amplification of long-period motions. Based on the spectral analyses, the nonlinearity occurring in the shallow liquefied layer during the shaking event is identified, manifested by a significant reduction of the shear modulus. A fully coupled, inelastic, finite element analysis of the response of the array site is carried out. The stress-strain histories of soils and excess pore-water pressures at different depths are calculated. It is suggested that the stress-strain response and the build up of pore pressure are well correlated to the variation of the characteristics of ground motions during the shaking history.Key words: site response, ground motion, nonlinearity, soil liquefaction, array records, Kobe earthquake.


2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. Goulet ◽  
Jonathan P. Stewart

It is common for ground motions to be estimated using a combination of probabilistic and deterministic procedures. Probabilistic seismic hazard analyses (PSHA) are performed to estimate intensity measures ( IMs) for reference site conditions (usually rock). This is followed by a deterministic modification of the rock IMs to account for site effects, typically using site factors from the literature or seismic codes. We demonstrate for two California sites and three site conditions that the deterministic application of nonlinear site factors underestimates ground motions evaluated probabilistically for return periods of engineering interest. Reasons for this misfit include different standard deviation terms for rock and soil sites, different controlling earthquakes, and overestimation of the nonlinear component of the site response in the deterministic procedure. This problem is solved using site-specific PSHA with appropriate consideration of nonlinear site response, within the hazard integral.


2016 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 1267-1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristel C. Meza‐Fajardo ◽  
Jean‐François Semblat ◽  
Stéphanie Chaillat ◽  
Luca Lenti

Author(s):  
Morgan P. Moschetti ◽  
David Churchwell ◽  
Eric M. Thompson ◽  
John M. Rekoske ◽  
Emily Wolin ◽  
...  

Abstract Ground-motion analysis of more than 3000 records from 59 earthquakes, including records from the March 2020 Mw 5.7 Magna earthquake sequence, was carried out to investigate site response and basin amplification in the Wasatch Front, Utah. We compare ground motions with the Bayless and Abrahamson (2019; hereafter, BA18) ground-motion model (GMM) for Fourier amplitude spectra, which was developed on crustal earthquake records from California and other tectonically active regions. The Wasatch Front records show a significantly different near-source rate of distance attenuation than the BA18 model, which we attribute to differences in (apparent) geometric attenuation. Near-source residuals show a period dependence of this effect, with greater attenuation at shorter periods (T<0.5  s) and a correlation between period and the distance over which the discrepancy manifests (∼20–50  km). We adjusted the recorded ground motions for these regional path effects and solved for station site terms using linear mixed-effects regressions, with groupings for events and stations. We analyzed basin amplification by comparing the site terms with the basin geometry and basin depths from two seismic-velocity models for the region. Sites over the deeper parts of the sedimentary basins are amplified by factors of 3–10, relative to sites with thin sedimentary cover, with greater amplification at longer periods (T≳1  s). Average ground-motion variability increases with period, and long-period variability exhibits a slight increase at the basin edges. These results indicate regional seismic wave propagation effects requiring further study, and potentially a regionalized GMM, as well as highlight basin amplification complexities that may be incorporated into seismic hazard assessments.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaetano Falcone ◽  
Gianluca Acunzo ◽  
Amerigo Mendicelli ◽  
Federico Mori ◽  
Giuseppe Naso ◽  
...  

<p>Estimation of site effects over large areas is a key-issue for land management and emergency system planning in a risk mitigation perspective. In general, site-conditions are retrieved from available global datasets and the ground-shaking estimation is based on ground motion prediction equations.</p><p>An advanced procedure to estimate site effects over large areas is here proposed with reference to the Italian territory. Site-condition were defined for homogenous morpho-geological areas in accordance to the borehole logs and the geophysical data archived in the Italian database for seismic microzonation (https://www.webms.it/). Ground motion modifications were determined by means of about 30 milion of one-dimensional numerical simulations of local seismic site response. Correlations between amplification factors (i.e. the ratio between free-field and outcrop response spectra), AF, and site-condition (i.e. harmonic mean of the shear wave velocity in the upper 30 m of the deposit, V<sub>S30</sub>) were determined for each morpho-geological homogeneous area depending on the reference seismic intensity (i.e. referred to the outcropping stiff rock characterised by V<sub>S30</sub> ≥ 800 m/s). The AF-V<sub>S30</sub> correlations were proved to satisfactory forecast the site effects when compared with the results of site specific estimation of local seismic site response.</p>


Author(s):  
John M. Rekoske ◽  
Morgan P. Moschetti ◽  
Eric M. Thompson

ABSTRACT Earthquake hazards in the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW) are increased by the presence of deep sedimentary basins that amplify and prolong ground shaking. To better understand basin and site effects on ground motions, we compile a database of recordings from crustal and intraslab earthquakes. We process 8028 records with magnitudes from 3.5 to 6.8 and hypocentral depths up to 62 km to compute Fourier amplitude spectra of ground acceleration for frequencies of 0–20 Hz. We compute residuals relative to the Bayless and Abrahamson (2019; hereafter, BA18) ground-motion model and perform a series of linear, crossed, mixed-effects regressions. In addition to estimating the bias, event, and site terms, we incorporate groupings for broad regionalized site response in three different regions (Seattle basin, Puget Lowland, non-Puget Lowland), for effects from seismotectonic regime (crustal and intraslab sources), and for interactions between the regions and seismotectonic regimes. We find that the scaling of site response with respect to VS30 (time-averaged shear-wave velocity from the surface to a depth of 30 m) and to basin depth indicators Z1.0 and Z2.5 (depths to the 1.0 and 2.5 km/s shear-wave velocity horizons) is generally consistent with BA18; however, the region terms display strong spatial amplification patterns. For frequencies less than 5 Hz, the Seattle basin amplifies ground motions up to a factor of four, relative to the non-Puget Lowland, with a maximum amplification around near 0.5 Hz. Sites in the Puget Lowland amplify low frequencies up to a factor of 2.5. At higher frequencies (f>5  Hz), the Puget Lowland and Seattle basin show regional deamplification of ground motions, with the smallest average amplification factor of 0.65 occurring at 10.0 Hz. Although we observe slight differences in the seismotectonic regime terms, we find that the region terms are significantly more important for modeling earthquake hazard in the PNW.


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