Brady R. Cox

Shear Wave Velocity- and Geology-Based Seismic Microzonation of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

A seismic site classification microzonation for the city of Port-au-Prince is presented herein. The microzonation is based on 35 shear wave velocity (VS) profiles collected throughout the city and a new geologic map of the region. The VS profiles were obtained using the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) method, while the geologic map was developed from a combination of field mapping and geomorphic interpretation of a digital elevation model (DEM). Relationships between mean shear wave velocity over the upper 30 m of the subsurface (VS30) and surficial geologic unit have been developed, permitting code-based seismic site classification throughout the city. A site classification map for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program/International Building Code (NEHRP/IBC) classification scheme is provided herein. Much of the city is founded on deposits that classify as either NEHRP Site Class C or D, based on VS30. Areas of the city requiring additional subsurface information for accurate site classification are noted.

Select Liquefaction Case Histories from the 2010–2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence

The 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence began with the 4 September 2010, Mw7.1 Darfield earthquake and includes up to ten events that induced liquefaction. Most notably, widespread liquefaction was induced by the Darfield and Mw6.2 Christchurch earthquakes. The combination of well-documented liquefaction response during multiple events, densely recorded ground motions for the events, and detailed subsurface characterization provides an unprecedented opportunity to add well-documented case histories to the liquefaction database. This paper presents and applies 50 high-quality cone penetration test (CPT) liquefaction case histories to evaluate three commonly used, deterministic, CPT-based simplified liquefaction evaluation procedures. While all the procedures predicted the majority of the cases correctly, the procedure proposed by Idriss and Boulanger (2008) results in the lowest error index for the case histories analyzed, thus indicating better predictions of the observed liquefaction response.

Liquefaction at Strong Motion Stations and in Urayasu City during the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake

The 2011 MW = 9.0 Tohoku-oki earthquake generated a large number of unique soil liquefaction case histories, including cases with strong ground motion recordings on liquefiable or potentially liquefiable soils. We have compiled a list of 22 strong motion stations (SMS) where surface evidence of liquefaction was observed and 16 SMS underlain by geologically recent sediments or fills where surface evidence of liquefaction was not observed. Pre-earthquake standard penetration test data and borehole shear wave velocity (Vs) profiles are available for some stations, but critical information, such as grain size distribution and fines plasticity, are often lacking. In the heavily damaged city of Urayasu, we performed post-earthquake cone penetration testing at seven SMS and Vs profiles, using surface wave methods at 28 additional locations to supplement existing geotechnical data. We describe the liquefaction effects in Urayasu, the available site characterization data, and our initial data interpretations.

Intramethod Variability in ReMi Dispersion Measurements and Vs Estimates at Shallow Bedrock Sites

The refraction microtremor (ReMi) method uses a linear array of receivers to record passive noise stress waves, thereby negating the need for a strong active source such as those typically employed in other linear-array surface-wave methods. The simplicity of such an approach is very appealing; however, there is a potential for significant uncertainty in shear-wave velocity (Vs) estimates obtained in this manner because much is unknown about the seismic wavefield that is being sampled. This article examines intramethod variability in ReMi dispersion measurements and Vs estimates at shallow bedrock sites. The focus is not on evaluating whether ReMi measurements yielded the “true” Vs profiles for the study sites, but rather on evaluating how the dispersion curves and Vs profiles at the sites were affected by variations in the seismic wavefield sampled by a linear array of receivers. It was found that changes in the sampled seismic wavefield, obtained through employing various array orientations at a site an...

Shear-Wave Velocity Profiling of Strong Motion Sites That Recorded the 2001 Nisqually, Washington, Earthquake

The 2001 M 6.8 Nisqually, Washington, earthquake was recorded by more than 70 strong motion sites in and around the Puget Sound region. We have characterized the shear-wave velocity (VS) structure down to depths of 100 to 300 ft at the 32 permanent strong motion sites, which recorded the highest ground motions (peak horizontal ground accelerations [PGA] of 0.04 to 0.31 g), using the Spectral-Analysis-of-Surface-Waves (SASW) technique. Most of the surveyed sites are underlain by glacial till (Qvt) with the remaining sites on Holocene alluvium (Qal), glacial recessional (Qvr) and advance outwash deposits (Qva), or manmade fill/modified ground (m). VS30 values for Qvt and Qvr range from 1,266 to 1,769 ft/sec and 1,139 to 1,826 ft/sec, respectively, corresponding to NEHRP site class C. In general, a pattern of higher PGAs with lower VS30 was not observed suggesting that VS30 cannot account for all site effects on the 2001 Nisqually ground motions.

Field Evaluation of the Stiffness of Unbound Aggregate Base Layers in Inverted Flexible Pavements

Unbound aggregate base layers in a quarry haul road in Georgia were characterized using embedded sensors and in situ seismic testing. Two sections of the road were constructed as inverted pavements, one using a South African Roads Board method and the other using a conventional Georgia Department of Transportation method. A third was constructed using a traditional method. Miniaturized versions of traditional cross-hole and downhole seismic tests were conducted to determine the stiffnesses of each base layer. Horizontally propagating compression and shear waves were measured under four different loading conditions to determine Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratios of the base. An increase in stiffness with an increase in load was measured. Additionally, it was found that the Georgia and South Africa sections had similar stiffnesses. Surprisingly, the traditional section was found to be somewhat stiffer than the other sections. This higher stiffness is thought to be caused by a prolonged period of compaction before construction of the unbound aggregate base layer, which essentially transforms the traditional section into an inverted pavement. Using the vertical total normal stresses computed from ILLI-PAVE, a value of 0.3 for the earth pressure coefficient was found to be reasonable for this material in determining the radial total normal stresses. The radial effective normal stresses were calculated from the radial total normal stresses and experimentally determined pore water pressures. Additionally, the negative pore water pressures in the partially saturated granular base had a significant impact on the stiffness of the unbound aggregate base layer, especially under small load levels.

Synthesis of the UTexas1 Surface Wave Dataset Blind-Analysis Study: Inter-Analyst Dispersion and Shear Wave Velocity Uncertainty

This paper documents inter-analyst uncertainty/variability in dispersion and shear wave velocity (Vs) estimates from a blind-analysis study performed on a common experimental dataset of surface wave measurements. The dataset consists of both active-source and ambient-wavefield data collected using a variety of linear and circular arrays of surface receivers. Analysts were allowed to process as much of the data as desired and requested to report their dispersion and Vs results in a blind manner. This information was used to calculate inter-analyst frequency-dependent uncertainty in dispersion estimates and depth-dependent uncertainty in Vs. The focus of this study is not about evaluating how many/which analysts obtain the “correct” answer, but rather on quantifying the range of answers one might expect from different analysts attempting to characterize the same site.

Guidelines for the good practice of surface wave analysis: a product of the InterPACIFIC project

Surface wave methods gained in the past decades a primary role in many seismic projects. Specifically, they are often used to retrieve a 1D shear wave velocity model or to estimate the VS,30 at a site. The complexity of the interpretation process and the variety of possible approaches to surface wave analysis make it very hard to set a fixed standard to assure quality and reliability of the results. The present guidelines provide practical information on the acquisition and analysis of surface wave data by giving some basic principles and specific suggestions related to the most common situations. They are primarily targeted to non-expert users approaching surface wave testing, but can be useful to specialists in the field as a general reference. The guidelines are based on the experience gained within the InterPACIFIC project and on the expertise of the participants in acquisition and analysis of surface wave data.

Surface-Wave Dispersion Approach for Evaluating Statistical Models That Account for Shear-Wave Velocity Uncertainty

AbstractA number of strategies exist to account for the epistemic uncertainty and aleatory variability in shear-wave velocity (Vs) profiles used in site response analyses. Epistemic uncertainty may be accounted for by using median and bounding-type profiles (e.g., ±20%), while aleatory variability may be accounted for by using Vs randomization procedures. A robust, quantitative method to help judge how well these statistically derived Vs profiles represent actual subsurface stiffness or layering conditions is currently not available. This paper presents a surface-wave dispersion approach for evaluating statistical models meant to account for Vs uncertainty in site response. Specifically, surface-wave dispersion data from two geologically disparate sites were used to generate 1,000  Vs profiles and layered earth models whose theoretical dispersion curves fit within the uncertainty bounds of the experimental data collected at each site. Additionally, theoretical dispersion curves generated from statistical ...

Experimental Data Set of Mining-Induced Seismicity for Studies of Full-Scale Topographic Effects

This paper describes two large, high-quality experimental data sets of ground motions collected with locally dense arrays of seismometers deployed on steep mountainous terrain with varying slope angles and topographic features. These data sets were collected in an area of central-eastern Utah that experiences frequent and predictable mining-induced seismicity as a means to study the effects of topography on small-strain seismic ground motions. The data sets are freely available through the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation data repository (NEEShub.org) under the DOI numbers 10.4231/D34M9199S and 10.4231/D3Z31NN4J. This paper documents the data collection efforts and metadata necessary for utilizing the data sets, as well as the availability of supporting data (e.g., high-resolution digital elevation models). The paper offers a brief summary of analyses conducted on the data sets thus far, in addition to ideas about how these data sets may be used in future studies related to topographic effects and mining seismicity.