EMPIRICAL SCALING OF STRONG EARTHQUAKE GROUND

MOTION IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA A REVIEW

Vincent W. Lee and Miodrag I. Mani

ABSTRACT

The empirical scaling studies of strong earthquake ground motion of three
research groups that contributed to the development of empirical scaling equations of
strong motion for the region of the former Yugoslavia are reviewed. Their scaling
procedures are described, and their approaches are compared. All regression equations
reviewed here can be classified into two groups, starting from their available database,
namely regressions that depend upon magnitude, distance, and local site conditions or on
local site intensities distance, and site conditions. The properties of strong earthquake
ground motion considered in the scaling equations discussed include peak ground
amplitudes, Fourier spectral amplitudes, response spectral amplitudes, and strong-motion
durations.

The traditional approach for empirical scaling of the amplitudes of strong earthquake ground
motion revolves around the linear representation of the amplification of seismic waves when they
propagate through soft surface sediments and soil. However, in the near field, when the
amplitudes of shaking become large, the soil experiences nonlinear strains, and thus tensile
cracks, fissures, and pounding zones form, resulting in highly nonlinear response characteristics.
This means that the characteristic site response, and the patterns of amplifications measured via
small earthquake records, or by analysis of microtremors, will disappear, departing from the
linear amplification characteristics completely. This leads to chaos and creates a problem for
seismic zoning because the nonlinear response is strongly dependent upon the amplitudes and on
the time history of shaking, so that it becomes virtually impossible to predict the distribution of
amplification from the local site conditions. This is significant for all engineering analyses of
response and for engineering design in the near field because it means that close to the faults the
complexity of strong shaking is further increased by large differential motions and by large
transient and permanent strains and tilts.



KEYWORDS: PSV spectra, strong earthquake motions, empirical scaling of spectra.



Department of Civil Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089,
U.S.A.
Faculty of Civil Construction Management, UNION Univ., Belgrade, Cara Duana, 62-64, 11000, Serbia.