Microzonation study in the Paganica-San Gregorio area affected by the April 6, 2009 L��Aquila earthquake (central Italy) and implications for the reconstruction

The earthquake of April 6th, 2009 in the L’Aquila area is one of the largest seismic events of the last years in Italy. The event, that caused significant damage in a large area of the Abruzzo region (cental Italy) and site amplification phenomena which were recorded even at large distances from the epicentre. After the emergency period, a detailed study of the surface effects was necessary for the post-earthquake reconstruction, but in a way it should be carried out rapidly enough to give instructions to urban planners, codes to public administrators and information to engineers. A team of surveyors were trained to collect field information such as geologic and geomorphologic features and geotechnical or geophysical information. The seismic inputs, for the numerical analyses, were provided, and the collected information were analyzed with the aid of dynamic codes to calculate the possible local site effects. The results are presented as acceleration response spectra, amplification coefficients (FA, FV and FH) and microzonation maps, aimed to urban planning and project design. In particular the more dangerous areas, affected by the higher amplification effects, were identified. Finally a comparison between the results obtained by the numerical analyses and the results derived from an experimental field analysis, measuring both earthquake weak motion and ambient noise, were performed. In this paper we present the results for one of the most severely damaged area (up to IX-X MCS), the Paganica–Tempera–Onna-San Gregorio area, located 6 to 10 km east of the April 6th main shock.     

Performance of the Italian strong motion network during the 2009, L��Aquila seismic sequence (central Italy)

On April 6, 2009, the town of L’Aquila in the Abruzzo region (central Italy) was struck by a seismic event at 01:32 (UTC), of magnitude M_W = 6.3. The mainshock was followed by a long period of intense seismic activity and within seven days after the mainshock there were seven events of magnitude M_W ≥ 5 that occurred from April 6 to April 13. This long seismic sequence was characterized by a complex rupture mechanism that involved two major normal faults of the central Apennines: the Paganica and the Gorzano faults. The strong-motions of the mainshock were recorded by 64 stations of the Italian Strong-motion Network (RAN) operated by the National Civil Protection Department (DPC). Six stations of a local strong-motion array were working in NW L’Aquila suburb area. One of them, located at about 6 km from the Paganica fault surface tip-line, set up in trigger mode, recorded continuously for more than 20 min the mainshock and the aftershocks. Besides the mainshock, the RAN stations recorded in total 78 foreshocks and aftershocks of M_L ≥ 3.5, during the period from January to December 2009. The corresponding waveforms provide the most extensive digital strong ground motion data set ever recorded in Italy. Moreover, the 48 three-component observations of events of magnitude M_W ≥ 5, recorded at a distance less than 15 km from each of the major involved faults, provide a significant increasing of near-field records available for the Italian territory. Six days after the mainshock, the strong-motion dataset, referred to preliminary locations of the events with M_L ≥ 4.0, was made available on the DPC web site () and at the same time it was delivered to the ITACA database (). This dataset has been used by many authors in scientific papers and by engineers, geophysicists and geologists for professional technical works. In this paper, the present-day available strong-motion signals from the L’Aquila sequence and the performance of the Italian strong-motion network in terms of the number and quality of recorded data, the geometry and data transmission system are described. In addition the role of the temporary network that represents an extension of the permanent Italian strong-motion network, supporting the emergency response by civil protection authorities and improving the network coverage has been evaluated.     

Inversion of source parameters for moderate and small earthquakes in Beijing region

Introduction Beijing and the adjacent regions is a significant seismically active area and many geoscien- tists have studied to different extents the non-elastic attenuation and source parameters in the area. GAO et al (1986) and ZHUO et al (1990) studied the coda Q in the Beijing region by the method of dominant frequency and mechanical frequency division with the simulated data. With the con- tinuous construction of digital seismic station network, the digital data are more favorably used…     

Damage assessment of churches after L’Aquila earthquake (2009)

L’Aquila earthquake, which occurred on April 6, 2009, proved the high vulnerability of cultural heritage, with particular reference to churches. Damage assessment in the emergency was carried out on more than 700 churches with a methodology aimed at recognizing the collapse mechanisms in the different architectonic elements of the church. The method was developed after the earthquake in Umbria and the Marches (1997) and has been widely used in the last decade; this approach is also very useful for seismic prevention, as it allows one to single out the most vulnerable structures. Some examples are presented in this paper, representative of recurrent damage in the main elements of the church: the fa?ade, the roof, the apse and the belfry. It emerges that, for a correct interpretation of damage and vulnerability, it is necessary a deep knowledge of local construction techniques and of the historic transformation sequence. Moreover, the bad behaviour of churches strengthened by modern techniques, such as the substitution of original timber roofs with stiff and heavy r.c. slabs, was observed. Starting from the observation of some case studies, the paper achieves some worth results, which may be useful for correctly driving future strengthening interventions.     

Characteristics of the strong ground motions from the 6 April 2009 L’Aquila earthquake,Italy

An M_w 6.25 earthquake occurred on April 6, 2009 at 03:33 a.m. local time, in the Abruzzo region (Central Italy), close to the city of L’Aquila. The earthquake ruptured a North-West (NW)–South-East (SE) oriented normal fault dipping toward the South-West (SW), with the city of L’Aquila lying a few kilometers away on the hanging wall.The main shock has been recorded by fifty-eight accelerometric stations: the highest number of digital recordings ever obtained in Italy for a single earthquake, one of the best-recorded earthquakes with a normal fault mechanism. Very high values of peak ground acceleration (0.3–0.65 g) were observed close to the center of L’Aquila (6 stations at zero JB distance from the fault). The earthquake caused severe loss of lives (299 victims and 1500 injured) and damage (about 18000 unusable buildings) in the epicentral area.In this study we analyze the ground motion characteristics of both the main shock in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground velocity (PGV), and pseudo-acceleration response spectra (5% of damping ratio). In particular, we compare the pseudo-acceleration response spectra for horizontal directions with the EC8 design spectrum and the new Italian building code (NTC08). In order to understand the characteristics of the ground motions induced by L’Aquila earthquake, we also study the source-related effects and site response of the strong motion stations that recorded the seismic sequence. A novel method is used for the analysis of inter-station and site-specific H/V spectral ratios for the main event and for 12 aftershocks.     

Evaluation of site effects in the Aterno river valley (Central Italy) from aftershocks of the 2009 L��Aquila earthquake

A temporary network of 33 seismic stations was deployed in the area struck by the 6th April 2009, Mw 6.1 (Scognamiglio et?al. in Seism Res Lett 6/81, 2010), L??Aquila earthquake (central Italy), with the aim to investigate the site amplification within the Aterno river Valley. The seismograms of 18 earthquakes recorded by 14 of the 33 stations were used to evaluate the average horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) for each site and the standard horizontal spectral ratio (SSR) between a site and a reference station. The obtained results have been compared to the geological and geophysical information in order to explain the resonance frequencies and the amplification levels with respect to surface geology of the valley. The results indicate that there is no uniform pattern of amplification, because of the complex geologic setting, as the thickness and degree of cementation of the deposits is highly variable.     

Performance of the L’Aquila (central Italy) gas distribution network in the 2009 (\mathrm{{M}}_\mathrm{{w}} 6.3) earthquake

Despite the seismic vulnerability of gas systems and the significance of the direct and indirect consequences that loss functionality might have on large communities, the analysis of the earthquake performance and of post-earthquake management for this kind of distribution networks appears under-represented in the international literature, with respect to other lifeline systems. To contribute on this matter, the study presented comprises an investigation of the impact of L’Aquila 2009 earthquake ( $\text{ M }_\mathrm{w}$ 6.3) on the performance of the local medium- and low-pressure gas distribution networks. The assessment of the physical impact of the earthquake to the buried components of network, namely pipes, valves, and demand nodes, was carried out when processing post-earthquake repair activity reports. Repair data, along with geometrical and constructive features, were collected in a geographic information system linked to the digitized maps of the network, and compared with the interpolated map of recorded transient ground motion, measured in terms of peak ground velocity (i.e., a $Shakemap^\mathrm{TM}$ ). The impact of permanent ground deformation was also investigated and found to be limited in the study area. The resulting observed repair rates (number of repairs per km), presented for different pipeline materials, were compared with repair ratio fragility functions available in literature, showing relatively agreement especially to those for steel pipes, likely also because of the uncertainties in the estimations. Finally, the management of the L’Aquila gas system in the emergency phase and the resilience (functionality recover versus time) of the system was discussed.     

Seismic response of deep Quaternary sediments in historical center of L’Aquila City (central Italy)

On 6 April 2009 a M_w=6.1 earthquake produced severe destruction and damage over the historic center of L’Aquila City (central Italy), in which the accelerometer stations AQK and AQU recorded a large amount of near-fault ground motion data. This paper analyzes the recorded ground motions and compares the observed peak accelerations and the horizontal to vertical response spectral ratios with those revealed from numerical simulations. The finite element method is considered herein to perform dynamic modeling on the soil profile underlying the seismic station AQU. The subsurface model, which is based on the reviewed surveys that were carried out in previous studies, consists of 200–400 m of Quaternary sediments overlying a Meso-Cenozoic carbonate bedrock. The Martin-Finn-Seed's pore-water pressure model is used in the simulations. The horizontal to vertical response spectral ratio that is observed during the weak seismic events shows three predominant frequencies at about 14 Hz, 3 Hz and 0.6 Hz, which may be related to the computed seismic motion amplification occurring at the shallow colluvium, at the top and base of the fluvial-lacustrine sequence, respectively. During the 2009 L’Aquila main shock the predominant frequency of 14 Hz shifts to lower values probably due to a peculiar wave-field incidence angle. The predominant frequency of 3 Hz shifts to lower values when the earthquake magnitude increases, which may be associated to the progressive softening of soil due to the excess pore-water pressure generation that reaches a maximum value of about 350 kPa in the top of fluvial-lacustrine sequence. The computed vertical peak acceleration underestimates the experimental value and the horizontal to vertical peak acceleration ratio that is observed at station AQU decreases when the earthquake magnitude increases, which reveals amplification of the vertical component of ground motion probably due to near-source effects.     

Ground motion modeling for site effects at L’Aquila and middle Aterno river valley (central Italy) for the MW 6.3, 2009 earthquake

Ground motion for the 6 April 2009 (M_w 6.3) earthquake is computed along 2-D cross-sections at L’Aquila by a hybrid method (modal summation plus finite differences) and validated with recordings at AQU, AQK, AQG, AQA and AQV stations. Parametric studies of S-wave velocities of the shallowest lithotypes allow to get a general agreement between synthetic and observed response spectra, despite the scaled point-source approach and the lack of detailed geological and seismic studies. It results that the megabreccia covering on lacustrine soils, characterizing the historical center of L’Aquila, is responsible of spectral amplifications along the vertical (2–7) and horizontal components (2–3) at a wide frequency range (0.6–7 Hz). The covering of alluvial soils in the middle Aterno river valley is responsible of amplifications at 2–7 Hz both in the horizontal and vertical planes of the motion. Such amplifications evidence that site effects might have been responsible of structural damages.     

Topographic versus stratigraphic amplification: mismatch between code provisions and observations during the L’Aquila (Italy, 2009) sequence

During the L’Aquila seismic sequence (Italy, 2009) we had the opportunity to install temporary accelerometric stations to study the role of seismic site amplification in damage enhancement. Two of the monitored sites, Castelnuovo and Navelli were also a good test for the recently introduced Italian seismic code (NTC08 2008) that prescribes an aggravation factor for slopes and ridges. Castelnuovo was an ideal situation to check the rule proposed for the distribution of amplification as a function of the position along a slope, while Navelli provided the possibility to test the almost equivalent factors that NTC08 sets for stratigraphic and topographic amplification (respectively up to 40 and 60 %). In neither case the observation matches code provisions. For Castelnuovo, there is a frequency dependence that shows as the code is over-conservative for short periods but fails to predict amplification in the intermediate range. For Navelli, the code provision is verified for long periods, but in the range around the site resonance frequency the stratigraphic amplification proves to be three times more important than the topographic one.     

Ionospheric precursor of a destructive earthquake that occurred on April 6, 2009 at L’Aquila (Italy)

On the basis of the 15-min data from a series of ground-based vertical ionospheric sounding stations, a study of variations of the foF2 critical frequency before the strong earthquake (M = 6.3) that occurred on April 6, 2009 at L’Aquila (Italy) was carried out. The earthquake epicenter was located 85 km north-eastward from Rome. Approximately 20 h prior to the earthquake, a well-pronounced statistically significant effect of foF2 increase relative to the average background for magnetically quiet days was observed for almost 1.5 h at the Rome ionospheric station. In this case, at control stations distanced from the earthquake epicenter, no statistically significant deviations of foF2 from the background values were detected during the same observations period. This fact provides grounds for consideration of the foF2 increase observed at Rome station as a possible ionospheric precursor of this earthquake.     

Seismic moment tensors and regional stress in the area of the December 2013–January 2014, Matese earthquake sequence (Italy)

The main goal of this study is to provide moment tensor solutions for small and moderate earthquakes of the Matese seismic sequence in southern Italy for the period of December 2013–January 2014. We estimate the focal mechanisms of 31 earthquakes with local magnitudes related to the Matese earthquake seismic sequence (December 2013–January 2014) in Southern-Central Italy which are recorded by the broadband stations of the Italian National Seismic Network and the Mediterranean Very Broadband Seismographic Network (MedNet) run by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). The solutions show that normal faulting is the prevailing style of seismic deformation in agreement with the local faults mapped out in the area. Comparisons with already published solutions and with seismological and geological information available allowed us to properly interpret the moment tensor solutions in the frame of the seismic sequence evolution and also to furnish additional information about less energetic seismic phases. Focal data were inverted to obtain the seismogenic stress in the study area. The results are compatible with the major tectonic domain of the area.     

Processes of the displacement field change of the 2009 April 6 M_W6.3 L’Aquila earthquake using persistent scatterer and small baseline methods

Using a time series method that combines both the persistent scatterer and small baseline approaches, we analyzed 9 scenes Envisat ASAR data over the L＇Aquila earthquake, and obtained a Shocke＇s displacement field and its evolution processes. The results show that： （1） Envisat ASAR clearly detected the whole processes of displacement field of the L＇Aquila earthquake, and distinct variations at different stages of the displacement field. （2） Preseismic creep displacement → displacement mutation when faulting → constantly slowed down after the earthquake. （3） The area of the strongest deformation and ground rupture was a low-lying oval depression region to the southeast. Surface faulting within a zone of about 22 km× 14 km, with an orientation of 135°, occurred along the NW-striking and SW-dipping Paganica-S. Demetrio normal fault. （4） In analyzing an area of about 54 km x 59 km, bounded by north-south axis to the epicenter, the displacement field has significant characteristics of a watershed： westward of the epicenter shows uplift with maximum of 130 mm in line-of-sight （LOS）, and east of the epicenter was a region with 220 mm of maximum subsidence in the LOS, concentrating on the rupture zone, the majority of which formed in the course of faulting and subsequence.     

Site effects “on the rock”: the case of Castelvecchio Subequo (L’Aquila, central Italy)

The April 6, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake was responsible for an “anomalous”, relatively high degree of damage (i.e. Is 7 MCS scale) at Castelvecchio Subequo (CS). Indeed, the village is located at source-to-site distance of about 40 km, and it is surrounded by other inhabited centres to which considerably lower intensities, i.e. Is 5–6, have been attributed. Moreover, the damage was irregularly distributed within CS, being mainly concentrated in the uppermost portion of the old village. Geophysical investigations (ambient seismic noise and weak ground motions analyses) revealed that site effects occurred at CS. Amplifications of the ground motion, mainly striking NE–SW, have been detected at the uppermost portion of the carbonate ridge on which the village is built. Geological/structural and geomechanical field surveys defined that the CS ridge is affected by sets of fractures, joints and shear planes—mainly roughly NW–SE and N–S trending—that are related to the deformation zone of the Subequana valley fault system and to transfer faults linking northward the mentioned tectonic feature with the Middle Aterno Valley fault system. In particular, our investigations highlight that seismic amplifications occur where joints set NW–SE trending are open. On the other hand, no amplification is seen in portions of the ridge where the bedrock is densely fractured but no open joints occur. The fracture opening seems related to the toppling tendency of the bedrock slabs, owing to the local geomorphic setting. These investigations suggest that the detected amplification of the ground motion is probably related to the polarization of the seismic waves along the Castelvecchio Subequo ridge, with the consequent oscillation of the rock slabs perpendicularly to the fractures azimuth.     

Processes of the displacement field change of the 2009 April 6 M W6.3 L’Aquila earthquake using persistent scatterer and small baseline methods

Using a time series method that combines both the persistent scatterer and small baseline approaches, we analyzed 9 scenes Envisat ASAR data over the L’Aquila earthquake, and obtained a Shocke’s displacement field and its evolution processes. The results show that: (1) Envisat ASAR clearly detected the whole processes of displacement field of the L’Aquila earthquake, and distinct variations at different stages of the displacement field. (2) Pre-seismic creep displacement → displacement mutation when faulting → constantly slowed down after the earthquake. (3) The area of the strongest deformation and ground rupture was a low-lying oval depression region to the southeast. Surface faulting within a zone of about 22 km × 14 km, with an orientation of 135°, occurred along the NW-striking and SW-dipping Paganica-S. Demetrio normal fault. (4) In analyzing an area of about 54 km × 59 km, bounded by north–south axis to the epicenter, the displacement field has significant characteristics of a watershed: westward of the epicenter shows uplift with maximum of 130 mm in line-of-sight (LOS), and east of the epicenter was a region with 220 mm of maximum subsidence in the LOS, concentrating on the rupture zone, the majority of which formed in the course of faulting and subsequence.     

Source properties of the 1997–98 Central Italy earthquake sequence from inversion of long-period and broad-band seismograms

We study source properties of the main earthquakes of the 1997–98 Umbria-Marche (central Italy) sequence by analysis of regional-distanceand teleseismic long period and broadband seismograms recorded by MedNet and IRIS/GSN stations. We use a modified Harvardcentroid-moment tensor (CMT) algorithm to allow inversion of long period waveforms, primarily Rayleigh and Love waves, for small earthquakes (4.2 M_W 5.5) at local to regional distances (<15^°). For the seven largest earthquakes (M_W>5.2) moment tensors derived from local and regional data agree well with those determined using teleseismic waveforms and standard methods of analysis. We also determine moment tensors for a foreshock and 12 other aftershocks, that were too small for global analysis. Focal depth and rupture propagation are analyzed for three largest shocks by inversion of teleseismic broadband body waves. The earthquakes are generally located at shallow depth (5 km or shallower) and are characterized by normal faulting mechanisms, with a NE-SW tension axis. The presumed principal fault plane dips at a shallow angle towards the SW. Only one of the events analyzed has an entirely different faulting geometry, indicating instead right-lateral strike-slip motion on a plane approximately E-W, or left-lateral faulting on a N-S plane. The other significant exception to the regular pattern of mechanisms is represented by the March 26, 1998, event, located at 51 km depth. Its connection with the shallow earthquake sequence is unclear and intriguing. The time evolution of the seismic sequence is unusual,with the mainshock accounting for only approximately 50% of the total moment release. The broadband teleseismic waveforms of the main, September 26, 09:40, earthquake are very complicated for the size of the event and suggest a complex rupture. In our favored source model, rupture initiated at 5 km depth, propagated updip and was followed, 3 seconds later, by a shallower subevent with a slightly rotated mechanism.     

Performance of non-structural elements in RC buildings during the L��Aquila, 2009 earthquake

In Italy infills and partitions (non-structural elements) are typically made up of hollow brick masonry, disposed in one or two parallel vertical walls. Many studies have analysed their role on the seismic behaviour of moment resisting framed RC buildings and many seismic codes, all over the world, have provided specific additional measures for them. During the Abruzzo seismic sequence, non-structural damage in RC buildings, both private and public, was extensive, varying from small cracks to collapse, along with minor or no damage to structural elements. This damage involved a number of buildings, both old and recently completed, determining heavy socio-economic consequences, including human casualties, loss of building functionality (particularly important in case of strategic constructions), and unusable buildings. In this paper a review of the most frequent damage patterns is performed, aimed at identifying the main causes of damage and linking them to commonly adopted construction rules. For this purpose, local and global structural configurations frequently exhibiting non-structural damage are described, aside from out-of-plane and in-plane failures. Furthermore, a review of code provisions on non structural elements has been performed in the paper making reference to the most prominent current seismic codes and, finally, some design and construction rules are suggested.     

Observed and predicted earthquake damage scenarios: the case study of Pettino (L’Aquila) after the 6th April 2009 event

A damage scenario based on observational data collected in L’Aquila Municipality after the 6th April 2009 earthquake is compared with a predicted damage scenario derived from the application of a simplified analytical method for seismic vulnerability assessment of Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings at large scale. The observational damage scenario is derived from a database of 131 RC buildings located in the Municipality of L’Aquila, which after the 2009 earthquake were subjected to post-earthquake usability assessment procedure. The simplified analytical approach adopted is based on the Capacity Spectrum Method to evaluate seismic capacity at different Damage States (DSs) based on the displacement capacity of structural and non-structural elements. DSs and the corresponding displacement capacity are defined through the interpretation of the observational-based DSs provided by the European Macroseismic Scale EMS-98. Data predicted by the adopted methodology are in good agreement with the observed damage distribution. The observed damage scenario is also compared with predicted scenarios derived from other methodologies from literature.