Observed Evolution of Linear and Nonlinear Effects at the Dahan Downhole Array,Taiwan: Analysis of the September 21, 1999 M 7.3 Chi-Chi Earthquake Sequence

— In this paper, the site characteristics of the Dahan downhole array are studied by analyzing the September 21, 1999 M 7.3 Chi-Chi earthquake sequence including the main shock and some aftershocks. The four-level array (0 m, 50 m, 100 m and 200 m) is located to the north of Hualien City in eastern Taiwan. Polarization analysis is used to check the orientation errors of the seismometers at different levels of depth. If the surface instrument is chosen as reference, the angle between the major polarization axes of the surface and any downhole records is the orientation error that must be corrected for the downhole accelerographs. The orientation errors at depths of 50 m, 100 m and 200 m are 32°, 120° and –84°. After the corrections, the coherency between the surface and downhole records is substantially improved. Spectral ratio analysis shows that the predominant frequency of the Chi-Chi main shock shifts to a lower frequency. We also simulate ground motions at different depths by using the Haskell method with a linear velocity structure model. The record at surface is chosen as the input motion. Compared with the observed data, ground acceleration can be well reproduced for the aftershocks (weak-motion events) of the September 21, 1999 M 7.3 Chi-Chi earthquake. However, for the Chi-Chi main shock, the synthetic waveform cannot match well with the observation neither in amplitude nor in phase. This indicates that large ground shaking probably induced the nonlinear site effect at that time, and the model used cannot support it.Acknowledgement. The authors would like to express their thanks to Dr. L.F. Bonilla and one anonymous reviewer for their valuable suggestions. This research was supported by the National Science Council under grant number NSC 89-2921-M-194-007. The Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica supplied the strong-motion data. The support of these organizations is gratefully acknowledged.     

Directional dependence of site effects observed near a basin edge at Aegion,Greece

We study site effects using 520 weak motion earthquake records from a vertical array in Aegion, Greece. The array is inside a basin, has four stations in soil, and one in bedrock (178 m depth). The site is marked by high seismicity and complex surface geology. We first use the records to establish the downhole accelerometer orientations and their evolution with time. Then we estimate site effects using empirical spectral ratios with and without a reference site (standard and horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio). We find significant site amplification which cannot be accounted for by 1D model predictions, along with a significant difference in the amplification level between the two horizontal components. These are indications of 2D effects, namely surface waves generated at the basin edge. The difference in amplification between the horizontal components is maximised when these are rotated with respect to the orientation of the basin edge. The strongest amplification takes place in the direction parallel to the basin edge (SH, or out-of-plane motion), and is up to 2 times higher than in the perpendicular direction (SV, or in-plane motion). This directional effect on the amplification is corroborated by numerical 2D modelling using incident SH and SV waves, with the former possibly generating strong Love waves. In the records, the directionality is clear for windows containing the largest amplitudes of the records (S waves and strong surface waves), while it tends to vanish for coda-wave windows. This directionality is also observed when using response spectral ratios rather than Fourier ratios. We compute soil-to-rock amplification factors for peak ground acceleration (PGA) and find it is significantly higher than what is predicted by current design codes. We attribute this difference to the basin edge amplification, linear soil behaviour, and to the inability of simple scalar values like PGA to describe complex amplification effects. Finally, we analyse the earthquake records at a surface station near the slope crest and do not observe significant topographic amplification.     

Seismological evidence for nonlinear elastic ground behavior during large earthquakes

Amplification of earthquake-induced seismic waves by soft superficial deposits often causes significant damages in the urban areas. In predicting this effect for large future earthquakes, the linear elastic response of soils is customarily assumed. To check this assumption, we have analyzed surface and downhole acceleration data from the SMART1 and SMART2 strong motion arrays in Taiwan, covering peak accelerations of up to 0·3 g. First, frequency-dependent amplification induced by the alluvial deposits at the SMART1 array was estimated using spectral ratio technique, where the records at rock site were taken as a reference motion. Statistically validated reduction in soil amplification in the strong motion relative to the weak motion in the frequency range between approximately 1 and 9 Hz was detected. Secondly, relative site responses between the Pleistocene and recent sedimentary deposits at the SMART2 array were studied. Relative amplification was shown to be clearly dependent on the excitation level. Thirdly, we compared experimentally recorded uphole/downhole spectral ratios on weak and strong ground motion with the theoretical response yielded by the geotechnical code DESRA2 which assumes hysteretic constitutive relationship of soil. Major symptoms of nonlinear ground behavior predicted by the model were found in the observed data. Back-calculation of the shear wave velocities to the depth of 47 m shows nearly 50% decrease in the strongest quakes, also accounted for by the nonlinear soil behavior.     

Estimating the orientation error of the Dahan Downhole Accelerometer using the maximum cross-correlation coefficient between the observed and synthetic waves

A new algorithm to correct the orientation error of the accelerometerat the Dahan Downhole Array, Hualien, Taiwan is developed. This algorithmconsists of three stages: (1) rotating two horizontal ground motions on thefree surface to the SH-SVdirection and SH axis offers a reference direction.(2) computing the synthetic downhole SH waves at a downhole station and (3)searching a rotation angle for downhole observation that yields a best waveformmatch between the synthetic and observed downhole seismograms. At this point, the rotated angle corresponding to the best waveform match can be considered as the orientation error. We selected five earthquakes with good data qualityfor analysis. Results show that this algorithm gives a more stable estimationthan a conventional method because it allows the selection of data from a wider time window for analyses. The estimated orientation error of the accelerometers at the Dahan Downhole Array after the 1999 reinstallation are40°, 114° and 285° at depths of 50, 100 and 200 m, respectively.     

Site effect assessment using KiK-net data: part 2—site amplification prediction equation based on f<Subscript>0</Subscript> and Vsz

This paper presents empirical correlations between amplification factors and simple site parameters derived from a large subset of the KiK-net data. The amplification factor is estimated from the ratios between the surface and down-hole horizontal response spectra, corrected for the varying depths and impedance of the down-hole sites (Cadet et al. in Site effect assessment using KiK-net data—part 1—a simple correction procedure for surface/downhole spectral ratios, 2011). Several site parameters are selected on the basis of their simplicity and availability at relatively low cost. They are the shallow time-average velocities V_SZ, with z equal to 5, 10, 20 and 30 m, and the fundamental frequency f₀. The amplification factors are then correlated with each of the individual site parameters; four other “twin-parameter”—couples (f₀, V_SZ)—are also considered and the correlation with amplification factors is performed through a normalization of the frequencies by each site fundamental frequency. The quality of the correlations is given by a misfit compared with the original data variance. The largest variance reduction is obtained with twin-parameter characterizations, out of which the couple (f₀, V_S30) proves to provide the lower misfit. The performance of single parameter correlations is relatively lower; however, the best single parameter proves to be the fundamental frequency, which provides smaller misfit than the Vsz parameters. A comparison is also performed with the amplification factors recommended in European regulations, showing that it is possible right now to significantly improve both the site characterization criteria and the associated amplification factors, for use in building codes and microzonation studies.     

应用微动H/V谱比法和台阵技术探测场地响应和浅层速度结构

为了快速而且廉价地获取北京市详细的场地响应和浅层速度结构,应用于地震动模拟和地震灾害预防,我们开展了微动观测技术和处理方法研究.本文利用2007年夏季北京五棵松地区进行的几个微动观测实验数据,使用单台H/V谱比法分析场地的卓越频率及其对应的放大系数,并对比了不同地震仪和观测时间对H/V曲线的影响;应用高分辨率F-K频谱分析方法从微动台阵数据中得到Rayleigh波的频散曲线并使用邻域算法反演出浅层速度结构.H/V结果表明该地区卓越频率在2.1～2.2 Hz之间,对应的放大系数下限约为3;利用微动H/V方法得到的场地卓越频率具有较高的稳定性.微动台阵反演结果给出了比较合理的波阻抗界面深度和层平均速度结构,认为地下80多米处的波阻抗界面是决定场地卓越频率和其场地放大系数的主要界面.本研究表明微动技术应用于评估城市地震场地响应和浅层速度结构是可行且易于实施的.     

Parametric analysis of the seismic response of a 2D sedimentary valley: implications for code implementations of complex site effects

A detailed 2D model has been constructed and validated for Euroseistest valley, in northern Greece. We take advantage of this model to investigate what parameters, in addition to surface soil conditions (obviously the most important parameter), can be used to correctly characterize site response in a 2D structure. Through a parametric analysis using 2D numerical simulations for SH waves, we explore the differences between the computed ground motion for different simplifications of the valley's structure. We consider variations in the velocity structure within the sediments, and variations of the shape between sediments and bedrock. We also compare the results from different 1D models reflecting current approaches to the determination of site response. Our results show clearly that, in the case of Euroseistest, site response owes fundamentally to its closed basin shape because it is largely controlled by locally generated surface waves. Thus, in terms of predicting site response, a rough idea of its shape ratio and of the average mechanical properties of the sediments are better than a very detailed 1D profile at the central site. Although the details of ground motion may vary significantly between the models, the relative amount of surface waves generated in the 2D models seems to be relatively constant. Moreover, if we quantify the additional amplification caused by the lateral heterogeneity in terms of the ‘aggravation factor’ introduced by Chávez-García & Faccioli [7], a roughly constant factor between 2 and 3 seems to appropriately take into account the effects of lateral heterogeneity. Of course, a correct estimate of the overall impedance contrast is necessary to correctly predict the maximum amplification, a caveat that also applies to 1D models. In this sense, Euroseistest rings an alarm bell. In this valley the more significant impedance contrast lies at about 200 m depth, and it is missed both by consideration of the average shear wave velocity of the first 30 m (the V_s30 criterion) or using the detailed velocity profile down to a depth where a shear wave velocity larger than 750 m/s is found. Our conclusions indicate that, in order to improve current schemes to take into account site effects in building codes, the more to be gained comes from consideration of lateral heterogeneity, at least in the case of shallow alluvial valleys, where locally generated surface waves are likely to be important.     

Regional seismic responses of shallow basins incorporating site‐city interaction analyses on high‐rise building clusters

This study assesses the 3D amplification effects in shallow basins and quantifies the effects of site‐city interaction (SCI) on high‐rise buildings. A regional‐scale 3D spectral element simulation is conducted on the Tuen Mun‐Yuen Long basin, which contains multiple subbasins with heterogeneous and nonlinear soil profiles, while 3D city models with various building layouts are fully integrated into the basin model for our SCI study. We found a good correlation between spectral amplification factors and soil depths. Site response is significantly amplified at basin edges and centers due to surface waves generated at basin edges and the focusing effects stemming from 3D basin geometry. Transfer functions of 3D basins can be up to fourfold at fundamental frequencies as compared to 1D response, and further amplifications occur at high frequencies due to surface waves. In the SCI simulations, we observe wave trapping in the open space amid buildings resulting in energy concentration and up to twofold PGA amplifications. The wave trapping effect diminishes as the space between buildings increase beyond their range of influence (～100 m). The SCI analyses show that destructive kinetic energy in superstructures increases 28% in one horizontal direction but decreases 22% in the other. Our study concluded that, 1D site response analysis can significantly underestimate the seismic demand in shallow basins. Site‐city interaction of high‐rise buildings increases the short‐period spectra of ground motions, leading to an increase in their story accelerations by up to 50% and to a substantial decrease in the seismic safety of short structures in their vicinity.     

Istanbul geotechnical downhole arrays

Geotechnical downhole arrays that record seismic ground response in near-surface layers are increasingly becoming one of the best sources of information for developing, verifying, and calibrating engineering analyses and design methods. Recently, three geotechnical downhole arrays have been installed in the European side of Istanbul, Turkey with efforts of Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI). The existing high seismic activity of the region increases the scientific importance of these downhole arrays. Each array is composed of one accelerometer on the ground surface and three or four borehole accelerometers at various depths along the soil profile with the deepest sensor located at the engineering bedrock level (V_s > 750 m/s). The arrays also provide reference bedrock motion for Rapid Response Network composed of 55 surface instruments operated by KOERI in the west European side of city. An important aspect of this paper is to introduce the recently-completed test sites emphasizing on their potential to generate valuable data for scientific community. Preliminary analysis of the recorded data provides evidence for significant site amplification of ground motion by the surface layers. Comparisons between the recorded and modeled response indicate that V_s 30 alone is a poor indicator of the amplification potential emphasizing the importance of site-specific analyses in predicting the ground response as opposed to empirical approaches.     

场地放大效应的估计

本利用唐山地区9个台站得到的13次近场地震记录分析了场地放大效应，其中一些站位于废弃的地下煤矿坑道内，最深的一个台站在地下822m处，首先检验确定了地面反射波对地下场地的入射波没有很大影响，在后利用地下基岩场地台站（－822m)作参考场地，用线性反演法来同时分离震源，传播途径和局部场地效应，结果发现：在1至10Hz的频段上S波品质因子Qs基本上与频率成正比；与以地面基岩场地作参考场地所得的结果相比较，地面基岩场地的反应并不是一常数，它在大于6Hz的高频段上有明显的放大作用，在本的研究事件中，在6至10Hz的频段上这个放大纱数约为2至4。这表明由于地面基岩场地本身的放大作用，将导致在作场地震动预测时会低估地震作用，最后采用一种新的非参考场地法，即遗传算法，用w^2震源模型来估计绝对场地效应。在本的研究结果中，对大多数台站场地来说，所得的绝对场地应应与以地下基岩台站作参考场地所得的相对场地效应十分一致。这表明这作场地震动分析时，当仔细考虑了反射波对入射波的影响后，地下或井下基岩场地是比地面基岩场地更合适的参考场地。     

Local site effects and dynamic soil behavior

Amplitudes of seismic waves increase significantly as they pass through soft soil layers near the earth's surface. This phenomenon, commonly known as site amplification, is a major factor influencing the extent of damage on structures. It is crucial that site amplification is accounted for when designing structures on soft soils. The characteristics of site amplification at a given site can be estimated by analytical models, as well as field tests. Analytical models require as inputs the geometry of all soil layers from surface to bedrock, their dynamic properties (e.g. density, wave velocity, damping), and the incident bedrock motions. Field tests involve recording and analyzing the dynamic response of sites to artificial excitations, ambient forces, and actual earthquakes. The most reliable estimates of site amplification are obtained by analyzing the recorded motions of the site during strong earthquakes. This paper presents a review of the types and the generating mechanisms of site amplification, and the models and methods that are used to characterize them from earthquake records.     

Investigation of non-linear site amplification at two downhole strong ground motion arrays in Taiwan

Non-linear seismic response of soil is studied by comparing the spectral ratios of surface to downhole horizontal accelerations on weak and strong motion. Data from two boreholes are analysed. One is drilled in the alluvial deposits in the south–west quadrant of the SMART 1 array. The second one penetrates Pleistocene terrace deposits in the northern part of the SMART2 array. Observed weak and strong motion spectral ratios are compared with the theoretical ones predicted by the geotechnical soil model which postulates a hysteretic constitutive law. A significant non-linear response is found at the first site for the events with surface peak acceleration exceeding roughly 0–15g. Deamplification of the strong motion occurred in the frequency range from approximately 1 to 10 Hz. The maximum observed difference between the average weak and strong motion amplification functions of an 11 m-thick near-surface stratum is a factor of 2–3. Nonlinear response characteristics are in qualitative agreement with the model. An additional corollary is that the amplification function calculated from the shear wave coda is equivalent to the average amplification calculated over the ensemble of small earthquakes. No statistically significant non-linear response is detected on the second array, that is tentatively accounted for by the stiffer soil conditions and weaker accelerations achieved at the SMART2 site. The results indicate that the non-linear amplification can be detectable at certain soil conditions above a threshold acceleration level.     

Site effect assessment using KiK-net data: Part 1. A simple correction procedure for surface/downhole spectral ratios

When data is available, the estimation of site effects is usually performed using the “standard spectral ratio” (SSR) technique with respect to an outcropping, reference rock site. This study uses the Japanese KiK-net network, which has more than 600 pairs of surface-downhole stations allowing the computation of empirical borehole transfer functions, consisting of mean spectral ratios of surface over downhole recordings. The borehole transfer function deviates from the SSR in two respects: the reference is located at depth, and the downhole velocity varies from one site to another. These differences bias the estimation of the transfer function with reference to a standard outcrop rock site. The goal of this paper is to develop a simple and robust methodology to correct for such bias. The proposed correction procedure consists of two steps: a depth correction designed to account, in a simplified and physically acceptable way, for the existence at depth of destructive interferences and the absence of free-surface effects in the high-frequency range; and an impedance correction designed to normalize the shear wave velocity at depth. The depth correction involves a simple, frequency-dependent curve to be adapted for each site as a function of the first destructive interference frequency at depth. The impedance normalization combines the use of “generic” rock velocity profiles and a quarter-wavelength approach, resulting in a smooth frequency-dependent amplitude correction. The proposed methodology is applied on a large subset of KiK-net data in view of analysing the correlation between site amplification factors and site parameters in a companion paper.     

天然地震频率范围内首都圈地区近地表S波速度结构c

近地表沉积层的S速度结构是强地面震动模拟和地震灾害估计的重要参数,尤其是浅部的S波速度结构在工程上具有重要的应用意义．目前大部分资料来源于工程钻孔或工程地震探测,很少有地震波频率范围内的S波速度结构,或者深度达数百米的S波速度结构．通过对天然地震的井下摆波形记录的分析,提供了一种测量地震波频率范围深达数百米的S波速度的有效方法．收集了首都圈地区44个井下摆的近震记录,利用广义射线方法确认了直达S波及其在地表的反射波震相,并通过测量不同台站上两个震相的到时差,获得了首都圈地区浅层100——500m 深度范围的S波速度结构．研究发现,浅部100m 的平均S波速度低于300m/s．当深度增加到500m 时S波速增加到800m/s,平均速度梯度为0.8 （m/s）/m．研究结果表明,井下摆地震记录波形是研究沉积盆地浅层S波结构的重要资料,将为沉积盆地的强地面震动模拟提供重要基础参数．      

The effects of torsion and motion coupling in site response estimation

Soil amplification characteristics are investigated using data from the Chibaken‐Toho‐Oki earthquake and its aftershocks recorded at Chiba dense array in Japan. The frequency‐dependent amplification function of soil is calculated using uphole‐to‐downhole spectral ratio analysis, considering the horizontal components of shear wave. The identified spectral ratios consistently demonstrate the splitting of peaks in their resonance frequencies and low amplification values in comparison with a 1D model. The torsional behaviour and horizontal ground motion coupling are clarified as the reasons for these phenomena at the site. To prove the hypothesis, the torsional motion is directly evaluated using the data of the horizontal dense array in different depths at the site. The comparison between Fourier spectra of torsional motion and identified transfer functions reveals the peaks at the same frequencies. The wave equation including torsion and horizontal motion coupling is introduced and solved for the layered media by applying wave propagation theory. Using the developed model, the effects of torsional motion with horizontal motion coupling on soil transfer function are numerically examined. Splitting and low amplification at resonance frequencies are confirmed by the results of numerical analysis. Furthermore, the ground motion in two horizontal directions at the site is simulated using site geotechnical specification and optimizing the model parameters. The simulated and recorded motions demonstrate good agreement that is used to validate the hypothesis. In addition, the spectral density of torsional ground motions are compared with the calculated one and found to be well predicted by the model. Finally, the results are used to explain the overestimation of damping in back‐calculation of dynamic soil properties using vertical array data in small strain level. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Summary of Attenuation Measurements from Borehole Recordings of Earthquakes: The 10 Hz Transition Problem

—Earthquake seismograms recorded by instruments in deep boreholes have low levels of background noise and wide signal bandwidth. They have been used to extend our knowledge of crustal attenuation both in the near-surface and at seismogenic depths. Site effects are of major importance to seismic hazard estimation, and the comparison of surface, shallow and deep recordings allows direct determination of the attenuation in the near-surface. All studies to date have found that Q is very low in the near-surface (～ 10 in the upper 100 m), and increases rapidly with depth. Unlike site amplification, attenuation at shallow depths exhibits little dependence on rock-type. These observations are consistent with the opening of fractures under decreasing lithostatic pressure being the principal cause of the severe near-surface attenuation. Seismograms recorded in deep boreholes are relatively unaffected by near-surface effects, and thus can be used to measure crustal attenuation to higher frequencies (≥ 100 Hz) than surface recordings. Studies using both direct and coda waves recorded at over 2 km depth find Q to be high (～ 1000) at seismogenic depths in California, increasing only weakly with frequency between 10 and 100 Hz. Intrinsic attenuation appears to be the dominant mechanism. These observations contrast with those of the rapidly increasing Q with frequency determined from surface studies in the frequency range 1 to 10 Hz. Further work is necessary to constrain the factors responsible for this apparent change in the frequency dependence of Q, but it is clearly unwise to extrapolate Q estimates made below about 10 Hz to higher frequencies.     

Local Site Effects in the Town of Benevento (Italy) from Noise Measurements

— The study of ground motion amplification produced by surface geology is extremely interesting in the Benevento area, Southern Italy, as it is characterized by high seismic hazard. The present moderate-to-low seismicity makes the noise method appropriate to estimate the seismic site response in the area. The three components of seismic noise have been recorded in five sites in the Benevento metropolitan area characterized by different surface geology, in order to estimate the seismic site response. In evaluating site amplification effects we used the direct interpretation of amplitude spectra and standard spectral ratio techniques, evaluating sediment-to-bedrock, sediment-to-average and H/V spectral ratios. The temporal evolution of the noise spectra is analysed within one day, in order to assess the stationarity of the noise signal. The noise wavefield properties have been studied through polarization analyses in selected bands of frequency, where spectral peaks are observed to dominate, to better understand the real nature of those peaks. Results give evidence of low amplification levels, missing any correlation between spectral amplitudes and sediment thickness over the basement. We interpret this result as due to the poor impedance contrast between sediments and basement, which is characterized by low values of shear waves velocity. Moreover, sharp amplitude peaks are observed in the raw spectra of the sediment-sites, in the 2–4 Hz frequency band; a numerical simulation interprets this effect as possibly associated with a wide-scale structure, invoking the presence of a sharper impedance contrast at greater depth. At high frequencies the action of ambient noise sources, mainly active on horizontal components of motion, is retained dominant to generate the prominent peaks observed in the H/V spectral ratios; in some cases the presence of a near-surface low-velocity layer can contribute to amplify the seismic motion generated at these frequencies.     

ANALYSIS OF AMPLIFICATION CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUND MOTIONS IN THE HEAVILY DAMAGED BELT ZONE DURING THE 1995 HYOGO-KEN NANBU EARTHQUAKE

To estimate the amplification characteristics of ground motions in the heavily damaged belt zone in Kobe City during the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake, 3D wave propagation analyses of a 2D deep irregular underground structure model with a vertical discontinuity were performed at an early stage as a preliminary and qualitative study. The hyperelement method was applied to the analyses for incident plane waves expected from the wavefields due to the source mechanism. The observation records at Kobe University of the rock site were used as control motions. The ground motions on the engineering bedrock (assumed to be on the free surface of the Osaka group layers having a shear velocity of 500 m/s) and at ground surface were calculated. The effects of the deep irregular underground structure and shallow surface layers on the ground motion amplification are discussed. Although there are qualifications due to the uncertain characteristics of the input rock motion and shear wave velocities of the underground structure, the analytical results show that the ground motion in the heavily damaged belt zone were amplified due to the focusing effect of the deep irregular underground structure as well as the shallow surface layers, and that the calculated peak ground acceleration (PGA) distribution coincided closely with the distributions of structural damage. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mapping of underground cavities by the passive seismic standing waves method: the case study of Barsukovskaya cave (Novosibirsk region,Russia)

This article presents the results of mapping a karst cave by the passive seismic standing waves method. Barsukovskaya cave is located about 100 km southeast of the city of Novosibirsk (Russia). The total length of the cave's passages and grottoes is estimated at about 200 m, the maximum depth from the earth's surface is about 19 m. The method for studying underground cavities used is based on the effect of the generation of standing waves by microtremor in the space between the earth's surface and the cave roof. The accumulation of amplitude spectra of a large number of microtremor records makes it possible to determine the frequencies of the first few modes of these waves. Areal passive seismic survey on the earth's surface above the cave made it possible to construct a map of the lowest mode frequency distribution over the cave roof. Since no standing waves were observed at other points, this map reflects the cave structure in plan, which confirms the comparison with the cave diagram drawn up earlier by one of the speleologists. A schematic map of the depth of the cave roof was constructed using the longitudinal wave velocity V_p = 3120 m/s determined by the rock samples selected near the entrance to the cave. This map at a qualitative level also agrees with the data of speleologists, which indicate that the cave, on average, gradually becomes deeper from the entrance to its dead‐end branches. The shallower depths in comparison with the data of speleologists are apparently explained by a very low estimate of the velocity determined from a rock sample taken near the entrance to the cave. The reliability of the obtained cave mapping results is confirmed by the numerical simulation results using the finite‐element method.     

Studying the depth-dependent variation of site magnification factor in Dongchuan by earthquakes observed in borehole

IntroductionMany seismologists both at home and abroad have recognized the importance of site effect on structures of damaging earthquakes. Lots of great earthquakes occurred in China and foreign countries clearly indicate that the site response of buildings located in the seismic area has huge impact on the damage of building(s structure (JIANG, et al, 1997). The digitization of seismometer and development of computer have laid foundation of substance for quantitatively studying spatial var…