Seismic wave scattering effects under different canyon topographic and geological conditions

Based on our numerical model for wave scattering problems due to P and SV wave incidences and the frequency domain analysis procedure, the effect of canyon topographic and geologic conditions on ground motion due to P and SV earthquake wave incidences has been extensively studied in this paper. The numerical results from this research illustrated that: (1) canyon topographic and geologic conditions can dramatically affect both peak value and frequency contents of the free field motion along the canyon surface during an earthquake; (2) a canyon may be subjected to stronger ground motion when its predominant frequency is in coincidence with the predominant frequency of the incident earthquake wave; (3) a stronger wave mode conversion effect can be induced by a steeper canyon bank or a softer weathered stratum on the canyon surface in the case of an earthquake wave incidence; (4) compared with harmonic wave incidences, the amplification effect of a canyon on the incident earthquake wave is a little weaker due to the average self-healing effect of the earthquake wave.