Constraints from precariously balanced rocks on preferred rupture directions for large earthquakes on the southern San Andreas Fault

We have compared near-fault ground motions from TeraShake simulations of M_w7.7 earthquake scenarios on the southern San Andreas Fault with precariously balanced rock locations. The TeraShake scenarios with different directions of rupture generate radically different ground motions to the northwest of the Los Angeles Basin, primarily because of directivity effects, and thus provide constraints on the ground motion and rupture direction for the latest (1690) large event on that section of the San Andreas Fault. Due to the large directional near-field ground motions predicted by the simulations, we expect the precariously balanced rocks to be located primarily in the backward rupture direction or near the epicenter. Preliminary results favor persistent nucleation at or slightly northwest of the San Gorgonia Pass fault zone for large earthquakes on the southern San Andreas Fault.     

Mass movements caused by recent tectonic activity: The 1999 Chi-chi earthquake in central Taiwan

Abstract The Chi‐chi earthquake (M_S = 7.7), which occurred in September 1999, seriously damaged central Taiwan. Approximately 2 years later (July 2001), the Toraji typhoon brought a heavy rainstorm (650 mm rain/day) and triggered widespread landslides in central Taiwan and parts of eastern Taiwan. Approximately 10 000 Chi‐chi earthquake‐induced landslides and 6000 Toraji typhoon‐related mass movements were delineated in an area of 2400 km² using Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT; French earth resource satellite) images. The landslide distribution could be closely related to the distribution of peak ground acceleration registered during the Chi‐chi earthquake. The study area was composed of Tertiary sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, whose age and induration increased eastward. The earthquake‐induced landslides were mostly distributed in the region between the Chelungpu Fault and the Lishan Fault to the east, whereas they were few in the region east of the Lishan Fault. The Toraji typhoon in 2001 severely damaged both regions that had been shattered by the Chi‐chi earthquake in 1999. The occurrence of earthquake‐induced landslides can be correlated with epicentral distance, and their occurrence has more influence from the rock type than from the ground motion.     

Deterministic Seismic Scenarios for Imphal City

In this article, the spatial variation of ground motion in Imphal City has been estimated by the finite-fault seismological model coupled with site response analysis. The important seismic sources around Imphal City have been identified from the fault map and past seismicity data. The rock level acceleration time histories at Imphal City for the 1869 Cachar (M_w 7.5) earthquake and a hypothetical M_w 8.1 event in the Indo-Burma subduction zone have been estimated by a stochastic finite-fault model. Soil investigation data of 122 boreholes have been collected from several construction projects in Imphal City. Site response analysis has been carried out and the surface level ground motion has been determined for Imphal City for these two earthquake events. The results are presented in the form of peak ground acceleration (PGA) contour map. From the present study it has been ascertained that the maximum amplification for PGA over Imphal City is as high as 2.5. The obtained contour maps can serve as guidelines for identifying vulnerable areas and disaster mitigation in Imphal City.     

弱震区土层对基岩峰值加速度放大效应的试验研究

以人工爆炸波作为震源,通过现场试验获得基岩和土层场地爆炸波地震动时程,分析场地覆盖层厚度对基岩地震动峰值加速度和地震动持时的放大效应。试验结果表明:土层对基岩地震动有放大作用,基岩峰值加速度放大系数受覆盖层厚度和土层结构的共同作用影响;地震动持续时间随覆盖层厚度的增加而显著增加,受覆盖层土层结构影响不显著。     

Earthquake hazard in Marmara Region, Turkey

Earthquake hazard in the Marmara Region, Turkey has been investigated using time-independent probabilistic (simple Poissonian) and time-dependent probabilistic (renewal) models. The study culminated in hazard maps of the Marmara Region depicting peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral accelerations (SA)'s at 0.2 and 1 s periods corresponding to 10 and 2% probabilities of exceedance in 50 yrs. The historical seismicity, the tectonic models and the known slip rates along the faults constitute the main data used in the assignment. Based on recent findings it has been possible to provide a fault segmentation model for the Marmara Sea. For the main Marmara Fault this model essentially identifies fault segments for different structural, tectonic and geometrical features and historical earthquake occurrences. The damage distribution and pattern of the historical earthquakes have been carefully correlated with this fault segmentation model. The inter-event time period between characteristic earthquakes in these segments is consistently estimated by dividing the seismic slip estimated from the earthquake catalog by the GPS-derived slip rate of 22±3 mm/yr. The remaining segments in the eastern and southern Marmara region are also identified using recent geological, geophysical studies and historical earthquakes. The model assumes that seismic energy along the segments is released by characteristic earthquakes. For the probabilistic studies characteristic earthquake based recurrence relationships are used. Assuming normal distribution of inter-arrival times of characteristic earthquakes, the ‘mean recurrence time’, ‘covariance’ and the ‘time since last earthquake’ are developed for each segment. For the renewal model, the conditional probability for each fault segment is calculated from the mean recurrence interval of the characteristic earthquake, the elapsed time since the last major earthquake and the exposure period. The probabilities are conditional since they change as a function of the time elapsed since the last earthquake. For the background earthquake activity, a spatially smoothed seismicity is determined for each cell of a grid composed of cells of size 0.005°×0.005°. The ground motions are determined for soft rock (NEHRP B/C boundary) conditions. Western US-based attenuation relationships are utilized, since they show a good correlation with the attenuation characteristics of ground motion in the Marmara region. The possibility, that an event ruptures several fault segments (i.e. cascading), is also taken into account and investigated by two possible models of cascading. Differences between Poissonian and renewal models, and also the effect of cascading have been discussed with the help of PGA ratio maps.     

Verification of precarious rock methodology using shake table tests of rock models

Precariously balanced rocks in seismically active regions are effectively upper-limit strong motion seismoscopes that have been in place for thousands of years. Thus, estimates of the dynamic toppling acceleration of these rocks (through rigid body rocking) can provide constraints on the peak ground accelerations experienced during past earthquakes. We have developed a methodology that uses a two-dimensional numerical code to calculate the dynamic rocking response of precarious rocks to realistic ground acceleration time histories. Statistical analyses of the dynamic response of these rocks to a range of synthetic seismograms, as well as strong motion records, can provide important information about the ground motion attenuation curves and seismic hazard maps. We use shake table tests to investigate the dynamic rocking response of 13 wooden rectangular blocks of various sizes and aspect ratios subjected to realistic seismograms and compare the results with those of numerical tests. Our results indicate good agreement between the shake table and numerical results.     

合成地震动方法用于研究强地震动长周期特性的探讨

合成地震动一直是地震学研究中一个非常跃的领域。针对２长周期结构物抗震设计缺少宽频带强震记录的现状,利用“反射率法”和“围道积分法”等合成地震动方法对地震动长周期特性进行了探讨。结果表明：合成地震动方法是研究地震动长周特性的一个有效方法;在地震动长周期成份中,面波起着重要作用。因此长周期结构物的抗震设计必须考虑面波的影响。     

Observations of vertical ground accelerations exceeding gravity during the 1997 Umbria-Marche (central Italy) earthquakes

We found extensive evidence that the vertical ground accelerations produced during the largest shock (M = 6.0) of the 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquake sequence exceeded 1g in two areas close to the heavily-damaged villages of Annifo and Colle Croce. This evidence comes from the striking observation of thousands of freshly fractured and broken rocks and stones in these areas. Some of the broken stones lie isolated on soft detritic soil while others had been previously piled up, probably a long time agoto clear the fields for farming. The freshness of the cuts and fractures and the consistency of the observations for thousands of rocks and stones in these areas indicate that these rocks were thrown upwards during the earthquake, with breakage occurring at the time of impact. Ground motion calculations consistent with the static deformation inferred from GPS and interferometry data, show that the broken stones and rocks are found in the zone where the strongest shaking took place during the earthquake and that most of the shaking there was vertical.     

Earthquake response of submerged gravity foundation on soft rock

A gravity foundation submerged in the water is subject to the buoyancy force and is hence vulnerable to sliding at the base when it is subjected to a large lateral load. The effects of sliding on the earthquake response were investigated for this type of foundation on soft rock, considering the friction characteristics at the contact between concrete and soft rock. Shake table tests were conducted to observe the behavior of a submerged foundation on soft rock which slid during the excitation. Large-scale cyclic direct shear tests were conducted to examine in detail the friction characteristics at the contact between the concrete and soft rocks. Based on the results obtained in shake table and cyclic shear tests, a numerical model was established for simulating the earthquake response behavior of a submerged gravity foundation on soft rock. Numerical parametric studies were conducted by using this model and selected earthquake ground motion records. Various important features were observed in the earthquake response of this foundation.     

Quantification of Exhumation from Sonic Velocity Data, Cooper Basin, Australia, and Implications for Hydrocarbon Exploration

Exhumation (defined as rock uplift minus surface uplift) in the Cooper Basin of South Australia and Queensland has been quantified using the compaction methodology. The sonic log, which is strongly controlled by the amount of porosity, is an appropriate indicator of compaction, and hence is used for quantifying exhumation from compaction. The traditional way of estimating exhumation based on the degree of overcompaction of a single shale unit has been modified and five units ranging in age from Permian to Triassic have been analysed. The results reveal that exhumation increases eastwards from the South Australia into the Queensland sector of the basin. The results show that exhumation in Late Triassic – Early Jurassic times, after the Cooper Basin deposition, seems to be 200–400 m higher than exhumation in Late Cretaceous – Tertiary times, after the Eromanga Basin deposition. This study has major implications for hydrocarbon exploration. Maturation of source rocks will be greater for any given geothermal history if exhumation is incorporated in maturation modelling. Exhumation values can also be used to improve porosity predictions of reservoir units in undrilled targets.     

汶川地震远场地震动特征及其对长周期结构影响的分析

汶川8．0级大地震中,中国数字强震动台网获得了大量的数字强震动记录,这些记录特别是远场记录具有丰富的长周期地震动分量。本文根据东南强震动中心获取的区域数字强震动记录,分析汶川8．0级地震的远场地震动特征,研究了基岩场地及深厚软弱场地的长周期地震动及其差异;根据长周期结构的特点,选取建于深厚软弱场地上的江苏A050强震台的超长地震记录进行结构地震反应分析,研究汶川8．0级地震对远场长周期结构的影响,并结合实际震害特点,提出了长周期结构抗震及地震安全对策中一些值得注意和思考的问题。     

Spectral parameters of ground motion in different regions: comparison of empirical models

Fourier-amplitude spectrum is one of the most important parameters describing earthquake ground motion, and it is widely used for strong ground motion prediction and seismic hazard estimation. The relationships between Fourier-acceleration spectra, earthquake magnitude and distance were analysed for different seismic regions (the Caucasus and Taiwan island) on the basis of ground motion recordings of small to moderate (3.5≤M_L≤6.5) earthquakes. It has been found that the acceleration spectra of the most significant part of the records, starting from S-wave arrival, can be modelled accurately by the Brune's “ω-squared” point-source model. Parameters of the model are found to be region-dependent. Peak ground accelerations and response spectra for condition of rock sites were calculated using stochastic simulation technique and obtained models of source spectra. The modelled ground-motion parameters are compared with those predicted by recent empirical attenuation relationship for California.     

Earthquake response of arch dams to spatially varying ground motion

The response of two arch dams to spatially varying ground motions recorded during earthquakes is computed by a recently developed linear analysis procedure, which includes dam–water–foundation rock interaction effects and recognizes the semi‐unbounded extent of the rock and impounded water domains. By comparing the computed and recorded responses, several issues that arise in analysis of arch dams are investigated. It is also demonstrated that spatial variations in ground motion, typically ignored in engineering practice, can have profound influence on the earthquake‐induced stresses in the dam. This influence obviously depends on the degree to which ground motion varies spatially along the dam–rock interface. Thus, for the same dam, this influence could differ from one earthquake to the next, depending on the epicenter location and the focal depth of the earthquake relative to the dam site. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

竖向地震荷载下人字批顶结构石窟的稳定性分析

我国部分石窟的空间建造采用了人字批顶形式,体现了中国传统建筑形式与佛教石窟建造形式上的融合.选取莫高窟典型的人字批顶结构的254号石窟作为研究对象,建立了三维的石窟计算模型,考虑了竖向地震荷载作用,通过输入不同地震加速度时程,计算了4种模型情况下石窟岩体的拉应力分布情况.结果表明,石窟的人字批顶处易形成较大拉应力区,易遭受地震破坏;石窟中心塔柱可以有效地提高所在石窟岩体的抗震能力,但对下部窟体的上部岩体会产生应力集中,是窟体防护加固的重点部位.同时,对于洞窟密集而又分上下几层的石窟群,在抗震防护中应充分考虑竖向地震荷载的作用.     

Simulation of strong ground motion for the 25 April 2015 Nepal (Gorkha) Mw 7.8 earthquake using the SCEC broadband platform

The 25th April 2015 Nepal (Gorkha) earthquake has been introduced into the SCEC BBP v15.3, and validation simulations are run using EXSIM methodology with the strong ground motion data of the earthquake. Synthetic seismograms are generated along with the response spectra for engineering applications. Goodness-of-fit metrics have been computed from response spectra for 14 stations located in the Central Indo-Gangetic Plains (CIGP). Plots of residuals are made as a function of hypocentral distance for various time periods. Spatial distribution of residuals as well as average residuals for all stations for the horizontal components are computed. The results demonstrate that there was a good match between the actual data and synthetics generated by the broadband platform. Finally, four of the widely used ground motion prediction equations around the world are chosen to compare how they predict the synthetics for Gorkha earthquake in CIGP.     

基于GIS的抗震设计地震动查询系统

基于ArcView CIS软件开发平台，建立了设计地震动参数和最不利设计地震动数据库，建成了基于性态设计和考虑最不利设计地震动因素的设计地震动查询系统，该系统主要为基于PC机工作的结构抗震设计人员提供相应的设计地震动参数和最不利设计地震动的设计地震动信息查询服务。     

Simulation of orthogonal horizontal ground motion components for specified earthquake and site characteristics

A method for generating an ensemble of orthogonal horizontal ground motion components with correlated parameters for specified earthquake and site characteristics is presented. The method employs a parameterized stochastic model that is based on a time‐modulated filtered white‐noise process with the filter having time‐varying characteristics. Whereas the input white‐noise excitation describes the stochastic nature of the ground motion, the forms of the modulating function and the filter and their parameters characterize the evolutionary intensity and nonstationary frequency content of the ground motion. The stochastic model is fitted to a database of recorded horizontal ground motion component pairs that are rotated into their principal axes, a set of orthogonal axes along which the components are statistically uncorrelated. Model parameters are identified for each ground motion component in the database. Using these data, predictive equations are developed for the model parameters in terms of earthquake and site characteristics and correlation coefficients between parameters of the two components are estimated. Given a design scenario specified in terms of earthquake and site characteristics, the results of this study allow one to generate realizations of correlated model parameters and use them along with simulated white‐noise processes to generate synthetic pairs of horizontal ground motion components along the principal axes. The proposed simulation method does not require any seed recorded ground motion and is ideal for use in performance‐based earthquake engineering. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

浙江湖南镇水库1982年5月22日3.1级地震序列的近场地声观测和初步研究

本文介绍湖南镇水库1982年5月22日ML=3.1级地震序列的近场地声观测和初步研究结果。观测表明:每一次地震都伴随地声。地声系相应地震事件辐射的高频弹性体波。其经由地面透射与空气耦合后形成可听地声。地声活动性在3.1级主震前后呈明显的阶段性变化特征。地声频率为60——250Hz,其加速度功率谱主频率fD为80——150Hz。研究了主频率的时间序列,发现前震期地声主频率由高值向低值转移,主震时达极低值。余震期内,主频率则由低值向高值回升,fD与ML呈幂函数关系fD=130.7(ML+2)-0.3。研究表明,地声主频率与时间、震级的相关性主要取决于震源破裂尺度,同时也与震源介质的应力状态和品质因数Q值变化有关。3.1级地震序列的近场地声观测和研究结果,与近年来国内外岩石破裂过程与声发射活动性和波谱特征的实验研究结果颇为一致。它表明,在矿山和地震活动区进行近场地声连续观测和实时分析,对岩爆和地震过程的预测有重要意义。      

A note on time of maximum response of single degree of freedom oscillator to earthquake excitation

The dependence of the relative time of maximum response of single degree of freedom system, subjected to recorded strong earthquake ground motion, on magnitude, epicentral distance and the Modified Mercalli Intensity at the site has been studied. Two empirical regression models are presented that enable estimation of the relative time of maximum response in terms of (1) earthquake magnitude and epicentral distance, or (2) Modified Mercalli Intensity at the site. The empirical distribution functions of the observed times of maximum response are presented. Both models also consider whether motion is horizontal or vertical, and the effects of the geologic conditions surrounding the site. The results are useful for the response spectrum approach in earthquake resistant design, as they provide guidelines for superposition of different loads in time.     

A note on the strong ground motion recorded during the Mw 6.8 earthquake in Myanmar on 24 March 2011

This study aims to investigate a Mw 6.8 earthquake that occurred in Myanmar on 24 March 2011. The epicenter of this earthquake struck very close to the Tarlay town which is located near the border of Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), and Thailand. In addition, this shallow left-lateral strike-slip earthquake occurred on Nam Ma fault which is previously identified as an active fault. Based on instrumental earthquake catalogue, Nam Ma fault did not produce any earthquake greater than magnitude 6 for at least 100 years. So the 24 March 2011 earthquake is essentially filling the gap of relatively short instrumental earthquake catalogue in this region. The strong ground motion from this event has been recorded in Thailand with the highest peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 0.20 g at 28 km distance at Mae Sai town. Comparison between observed strong motion and global empirical equation had been provided. Over the distance range for which the model is applicable, they are in fair agreement. On the other hand, at long distance, the large positive and negative residuals suggest that a change in slope in the attenuation is not reflected in these relations. Lastly a seismological aspect of strong ground motion at Mae Sai had been given.