Preliminary results of the modelling of the Mexico City valley with a two-dimensional boundary element method for the scattering of SH waves

A numerical method is used for calculating the two-dimensional scattering of incident SH waves to try to explain some of the amplification patterns observed from recent data of the Mexico City's accelerometric array. The method is briefly presented and its efficiency is tested against analytical and other numerical solutions for canyons and alluvial valleys.

Spectral ratios computed for transition and lake-bed zones of the Mexico City valley with respect to the average motion at hill-zone sites are also presented. The one-dimensional model is used to explain the amplifications observed at a site where the valley is relatively shallow, while the two-dimensional approach is employed at another site at the centre of the valley where irregular amplification patterns have been observed. Results in the time domain are also shown.     

Exact computation of input‐energy spectra from Fourier amplitude spectra

A theoretically exact relation is presented between the Fourier amplitude spectrum and the elastic input‐energy spectrum. This energy spectrum is computed from the Fourier acceleration amplitude spectrum and the real part of the relative velocity transfer function of the single‐degree‐of‐freedom elastic oscillator. Some accelerometric records collected worldwide are used to prove the solution. It is shown that the relation presented in this work opens the door for a better understanding of the relationship between the input‐energy spectrum and other seismological variables, such as magnitude and focal distance. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An algorithm for automatically computing the horizontal shift between homologous contours from DTMs

The algorithm we present here is useful for measuring the planimetric discrepancy between two models which can be represented by contours. In cartography the paradigm of such models is represented by digital terrain models (DTMs). The measure we propose is based on an area enclosed between homologous contours (two level contours, each belonging to two different models). Our measure is similar to another used previously, although, in the previous studies, the area enclosed between homologous contours was computed manually or it was restricted to particular conditions. The innovation of our approach consists of the automation of the entire process and in the constraint elimination. The main problem to solve before computing the horizontal shift measure is how to determine the area enclosed between homologous contours. This is a problem because there is no bijective correspondence between homologous contours, and therefore the identification of the homologous contours is not a trivial task. Our approach overcomes this difficulty by closing following the limit of the DTM the open contours (the contours which cut the limit of the DTM) and classifying them by the external level. We achieve the automation assisted by the Boolean polygon operations, specifically using the symmetric difference operation. Our algorithm facilitates the computation of accuracy of a DTM by comparison with another and it is applicable in such fields as hydrology (precision estimation of the hydrological features), cartographic generalization, and civil engineering. Finally we use our measure for estimating the planimetric discrepancy between the same streams derived from different DEMs (different sources and precisions).     

Seismic-event-based methodology to obtain earthquake-induced translational landslide regional hazard maps

A seismic-event-based methodology to generate earthquake-induced translational landslide maps using Newmark method is proposed. The steps are: (1) to construct a GIS-based geotechnical database; (2) to identify those areas that are susceptible to the occurrence of translational landslides based on available geological information; (3) to compute a static safety factor; (4) to compute the critical acceleration that defines the threshold acceleration required to cause a displacement; (5) to characterize the seismic hazard as a set of stochastic events, collectively exhaustive and mutually exclusive, that fully describes the hazard spatial distribution and annual frequency of occurrence (in accordance with the earthquake location, depth and magnitude) with the appropriate ground-motion prediction equations; (6) to compute the Newmark displacement; and finally, (7) to carry out a probabilistic translational landslide hazard analysis to estimate an exceedance rate of a given displacement. This methodology is applied to Mexico, and maps for return periods of 150 and 500 years are presented. Results shown in maps are estimations of where translational landslides may occur and should be useful to carry out local studies to elaborate recommendations of site specific hazard reduction plans as well as to calculate insurance rates. In addition, these results are useful to identify civil protection actions, risk management at regional and local level, and land use planning, as well as for promoting more detailed vulnerability and risk studies at different scales.     

Significant duration predictive models developed from strong-motion data of thrust-faulting earthquakes recorded in Mexico City

Predictive models for estimating strong-motion duration in sites characterized by soft-soil profiles are presented in this paper. The models were developed using a strong-motion database that includes observations from subduction interface earthquakes that occurred from 1989 to 2020 and recorded in Mexico City, which is located at source-to-site distances up to 600 km. A linear mixed-effects regression model, which is a statistical fitting procedure that allows to consider the correlation structure of grouped data, was used to develop the predictive models. Relative significant duration was selected to measure strong-motion duration. This measure can be directly associated with the accumulation of energy of the ground movement. The proposed predictive models relate relative significant duration with moment magnitude, either hypocentral distance or closest distance to the rupture plane, and dominant period of the soil. Regression analyses were performed grouping the ground-motion data by both seismic event and site class. Model assumptions, such as homoscedasticity, normality, and linearity of effects, were verified from residual analyses. From the results, the expected value of the natural logarithm of relative significant duration was found to be ～1.2 times greater for an earthquake with a moment magnitude equal to 8.0 than for one of 6.0. An insightful discussion about the sources and character of the uncertainties detected in the proposed predictive models is also presented in this study. The predictive models proposed in this paper are of valuable application in seismic and structural engineering because they allow to circumscribe properly the dimension and randomness of strong-motion duration.     

Effects of hurricane Odile on the infrastructure of Baja California Sur,Mexico

In September 2014, the state of Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico, was struck by hurricane Odile. The hurricane caused extensive damage to the infrastructure of the state of BCS, where the energy and water supply were interrupted for several days. The direct economic impact was estimated to be more than 1654 million USD. Considering this damage, few days after the cyclonic event, a technical visit to BCS was carried out. The objective of this study is to present the relevant information on the performance of the infrastructure observed after the event, and to make recommendations in order to mitigate the effects of future cyclonic storms in Mexico, based on the observations during the technical visit. The main causes of damage were the use of materials for non-structural elements with a weak performance under high wind speeds, failures in the design and construction of connections of structural and non-structural elements, accumulated damage, lack of maintenance and impact of wind-born debris, as well as the absence of a building code in the region. Background information about meteorological and climatological aspects of the cyclones that have affected the southern region of BCS, the characteristics of hurricane Odile, the analysis of structural damages and the conclusions, are also presented.     

Image fusion using nonlinear discrete multiresolution transform: the case of harmonic mean

During the last two decades, the need for better image quality and functionality has led to seek for new algorithms of enhancement which overcome the technology restrictions. Among such algorithms, image fusion is employed in a wide variety of fields, such as aerial photos, astronomy, remote sensing, optical microscopy or medical imaging. Multiresolution decompositions have proved their superiority against other traditional fusion techniques since they lead to a better separation of geometrical details. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the existing image fusion methods with the introduction of a nonlinear variant of the classical ‘à trous’ algorithm, which is an important and well-known tool for image fusion. The proposed algorithm is also shift invariant. This property together with the use of some nonlinear components, well behaved in the presence of discontinuous data, make possible to improve some features of the resulting image in comparison with standard linear techniques. This improvement is tested by numerical experiments.