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Seismic Hazard

• Study of seismicity to understand earthquake


causes, locations and magnitudes
• Describing ground motions, from an engineering
perspective (amplitude, frequency content,
duration)
• Quantifying this hazard so that buildings can be
designed to accommodate (balance between safety
and economy)

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Slide from ES4423, G. Atkinson
Motivation for
ES4423/GP9508

If you think the building collapsed


because of its design, then why is
1985 Michoacan earthquake, Damage in Mexico City the “same” building still standing
beside it?
2010 M8.8 Chile
Rio Alto Condo Building
Concepcion
Motivation for ES4423/GP9508

If you think the building collapsed because of its design,


then why is the “same” building still standing beside it?
ES4423/GP508: Applied Seismology
• This course provides an advanced overview of seismic
hazard analysis for earthquake engineering purposes
including strong motion seismology, earthquake site
response and earthquake site classification techniques.
• Students will assess earthquake site amplification from
empirical earthquake recordings, numerical simulations,
and evaluation of case studies worldwide.
• Various software programs will be used to extract site
characterization information and model predictions of
earthquake site amplification.

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ES4423/GP508: Learning Outcomes
• Explain earthquake site effects in general and with reference
to significant past earthquakes  Assign 1, 4
• Predict earthquake site amplification based on subsurface
material properties  Assign 2
• Analyze strong-motion earthquake recordings to evaluate
earthquake site effects  Assign 3
• Evaluate multiple site characterization methods to develop
model(s) of subsurface site conditions  Assign 6
• Perform seismic hazard analyses to predict earthquake
ground motion  Assign 5, Project

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ES4423/GP9508: Schedule
Week 1: Course orientation and introduction to seismic hazard analysis Assignment 1
Week 2: History of earthquake engineering and significant earthquakes Assignment 1
Week 3: Strong motion seismology and Earthquake site amplification (theory) Assignment 2
Week 4: Earthquake site amplification (empirical evidence and case studies) Assignment 3
Week 5: Earthquake site effect metrics and site characterization field Assignment 4
techniques
Week 6: Earthquake site classification and mapping Quiz 1
--- Reading Break --- Feb 18-22
Weeks 7: Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and EQHAZ software Assignment 5
[delivered by Dr. Karen Assatourians]
Weeks 7: Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and EQHAZ software Assignment 5
[delivered by Dr. Karen Assatourians]
Week 9: Non-invasive shear-wave velocity (Vs) profiling methods Assignment 6
Week 10: Application of non-invasive Vs profiling methods Assignment 6
Week 11: Earthquake site response theory and numerical analysis
Week 12: Earthquake site response theory cont’d Quiz 2, Project
Week 13: Lectures, if required
*Laboratory assignments re-developed with Dr. Hadi Ghofrani
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ES4423/GP9508
Lectures
• M, W 10:30-11:30am, BGS 1056
Labs
• W 2:30-5:30pm, BGS 0184 computing lab
• Softwares used: Matlab, Geopsy, ProShake
Quizzes
• Based on lecture material; written in a lecture period (≤ 50-mins)
Expectations based on GP9525 course, Winter 2017
• Overall effectiveness as an instructor
• Course as a learning experience
• Both rated 5.1 / 7 (or 73%, B grade)

I admit this course is a lot of work, for you ... and me !


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Introduction: Basics
• What is an earthquake?
• What is earthquake (seismic) hazard?
• What are earthquake site effects?
• What role(s) do geologists, seismologists and
geotechnical engineers have in seismic hazard
analysis?

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Earthquakes
• Describe what an earthquake is.
• Definition of an earthquake:

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Earthquakes
• are the sudden release of
stored energy caused by slip
along a fault or fracture in the
earth.
• Earthquakes are a product of
the slow deformation between
tectonic plates or active
tectonics.
• Energy is released as
movement along the fault
(slip), heat, and seismic waves
that radiate out from the
source in all directions, which
causes the ground to shake.
• Seismic waves are mechanical
waves that transfer or
propagate this energy. 12
Seismic waves
Body waves
• Longitudinal, Compressional P-wave
• 1.7x faster than S-wave

• Transversal, Shear S-wave


• 60% speed of P-wave

Surface waves
• Love wave (SH waves)
• Slightly faster than Rayleigh waves
• ~90% speed of S-wave

• Rayleigh wave (from P & SV waves)


• 86-95% speed of S-wave (homog. med.),
depends on Poisson ratio
• Hetero medium, speed depends on
frequency or wavelength
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True or False:
• Surface waves can travel around the Earth several times
following a very large earthquake?

• True: Seismic waves from the biggest earthquakes (over


magnitude 8.3) can bounce around inside the earth for up
to a month(!). This makes the earth "ring like a bell”.
• (Spheroidal oscillation (expansion and contraction) of the
WHOLE Earth or its “breathing” mode with a T ~20-sec from
interference of two surface waves traveling in opposite
directions).

• https://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Learning/Science-Topics/Earthquakes/Monitoring-Earthquakes/Other-earthquake-
questions/Does-the-Earth-really-ring-like-a-bell-after-a-big-earthquake

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Earthquake waveform
Now that you remember the types of seismic waves,
help me draw a typical earthquake waveform
(earthquake recording, earthquake time-series)

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Introduction: Basics
• What is an earthquake?
• What is earthquake (seismic) hazard?
• What are earthquake site effects?
• What role(s) do geologists, seismologists and
geotechnical engineers have in seismic hazard
analysis?

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Seismic Hazard: Beginnings
• 1831-1731 BC • First written documentation
(~4,000 years) of an earthquake
• 1556 Jiajing earthquake • Oldest historical
(830,000 fatalities; deadliest earthquake you can think of
earthquake)
• First earthquake waveform
• 1890’s recordings (field of
earthquake seismology)
• 1960’s • Start of geotechnical
engineering
• When Canada started to
• 1970’s include seismic design in
our structures

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Earthquake (Seismic) Hazard
• Broadly, the ‘natural’ disruption to the environment or an area
from an earthquake occurrence (Kramer, 1996)
• List some earthquake hazards:
Primary hazards Secondary hazards

• In this course, we focus on seismic hazard due to ground shaking


or earthquake ground motions.
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Earthquake Ground Shaking
• Depends on:
1. Earthquake source (size,
mechanism) and depth
2. Material properties along
travel path
3. Local site conditions
ln Y = f(source) + f(path)
+ f(site) + error

• Ground surface shaking


(amplitude, frequency, and
duration) is strongly affected
by waves travelling through
upper few kilometers (or less)
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Introduction: Basics
• What is an earthquake?
• What is earthquake (seismic) hazard?
• What are earthquake site effects?
• What role(s) do geologists, seismologists and
geotechnical engineers have in seismic hazard
analysis?

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Seismic Hazard:
Site Effects
• 1D: Soft surficial sediments tend to increase (amplify) earthquake
shaking (Impedance-based amplification)
+ The soil column acts like a filter with strain-dependent properties that can
increase the duration and amplitude of shaking in a narrow frequency band
related to the soil thickness, physical properties (P- and S-wave velocities,
density), and the shape of sub- and surface boundaries (resonance-based
amplification)
• 3D: Sedimentary basins generate surface waves
• Basin edge effect from constructive interference of S and surfaces waves
• Traps surfaces waves, leads to longer duration of strong shaking
• 3D: Topography (hills) also amplifies ground motion (convex basins)

 Earthquake ground shaking varies in amplitude, frequency and


duration from place to place
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*course focus
The “classic” site response
example
• 1985, Mexico City
• M 8.3 subduction earthquake
• 400 km distant
• Devastated structures with ~2-sec period
Example: ground motions from an M 8.3 subduction earthquake in
1985 caused collapse of many 8-14 story buildings – all on soft soils
in the Mexico City basin, more than 400 km away

Mexico City

Cross-section
(Records at the edge of Mexico City on rock)

Time Domain

( Record in Mexico City on soft clay)


Rock vs. Soft Soil Site Spectra in Mexico City.
Prominent peak in the soil ground motions at periods near 2 sec –
this is the natural period of buildings about 10-15 storeys

Frequency Domain
Introduction: Basics
• What is an earthquake?
• What is earthquake (seismic) hazard?
• What are earthquake site effects?
• What role(s) do geologists, seismologists and
geotechnical engineers have in seismic hazard
analysis?

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Seismic Hazard: Geology
• Geologists role is to locate paleo-earthquakes using
paleoseismology, locate and characterize the faults that
generated them and develop a quantitative understanding
of the style, magnitude, frequency of earthquakes on the
fault
• Goal is to:
• forecast earthquake size,
• location of fault rupture,
• degree of surface deformation,
• local site amplification factors
that will impact ground shaking
and soil failures

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*course focus
Seismic Hazard:
(Engineering) Seismology
• “The basic data of earthquake engineering are the
recordings of ground accelerations during earthquakes. A
knowledge of the ground motion is essential to an
understanding of the earthquake behaviour of structures”
(Housner, 1970)
Engineering characteristics of strong ground motion or
“metrics”:
• Peak ground acceleration (PGA)
• Peak ground velocity (PGV)
• Peak ground displacement (PGD)
• Frequency content (Fourier spectrum, Response spectrum)
• Duration of strong shaking
• Intensity measures
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*course focus
Seismic Hazard: Geotechnical
• Geotechnical factors can have a • Site characterization
strong influence on man-made • Site field tests, laboratory tests
and natural structures during • Dynamic soil properties
earthquakes • Shear modulus and damping
• Nonlinear soil response
• Geotechnical materials influence • Dynamic shear strength
earthquake damage by: • Site response
1. Modifying ground motion • Types of site effects
shaking at a particular site • Site classification
(amplification, attenuation) • Site amplification (factors)
• Site response analysis
2. Ground failure in which soil
mass experiences • Ground Failure
permanent deformations • Liquefaction, landslides
(liquefaction, landslides) • Soil Improvement
• Densification, grouting, drainage,
reinforcement
• Soil-Structure-Interaction (SSI)

*course focus 29
Seismic Hazard:
Site Characterization
• One of the first, and most important, steps in a
geotechnical earthquake engineering hazard
evaluation is site characterization.
• Includes historical and current data on surface and
subsurface geometry, soil and rock properties,
groundwater conditions
• “Importance to the hazard evaluation and design
process can hardly be overemphasized”

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Seismic Hazard
Seismic hazard evaluation or prediction requires:
Geology
+
(Engineering) Seismology
+
Geotechnical Engineering

The course content therefore overlaps between these


disciplines

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