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

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An Erratum to this article was published on 15 October 2011

Abstract

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ISTerre Institut des Sciences de la Terre, CNRS, University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, IFSTTAR, BP 53, 38041, Grenoble Cedex 9, France

    Cadet Héloïse & Pierre-Yves Bard

  2. CETE Méditerrannée, Centre d’études Techniques de l’équipement, Regional Laboratory of Nice, 56 bd Stalingrad, 06359, Nice Cedex 4, France

    Cadet Héloïse

  3. ITSAK Institute of Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering, Cosmos Offices 5 Ag. Georgiou Str, Patriarchica Pylaia, 55535, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Cadet Héloïse

  4. Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 200 Patton Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Adrian Rodriguez-Marek

Authors
  1. Cadet Héloïse
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  2. Pierre-Yves Bard
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  3. Adrian Rodriguez-Marek
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Correspondence to Cadet Héloïse.

Additional information

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10518-011-9323-x.

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Héloïse, C., Bard, PY. & Rodriguez-Marek, A. Site effect assessment using KiK-net data: Part 1. A simple correction procedure for surface/downhole spectral ratios. Bull Earthquake Eng 10, 421–448 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-011-9283-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-011-9283-1

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