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The Bishkek vertical array (BIVA): acquiring strong motion data in Kyrgyzstan and first results

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Abstract

We present results from a vertical array of accelerometers that was recently installed in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) with the long-term aim of recording strong motion data. Taking advantage of recordings of a Mb 4.7 earthquake that occurred 40 km from the array site during the installation phase, we provide results of some preliminary data analysis. First, estimates of the S-wave velocity and Qs structure are deduced by the inversion of the deconvolved wavefield between the sensors in the borehole. Furthermore, the application of the nonstationary ray decomposition Kinoshita (Earth Planets Space 61:1297-1312, 2009) allowed at least three reflectors in the shallow velocity structure below the array to be identified. The complex nature of the wavefield (with up-going, down-going waves, and converted phases) due to the coarse, unconsolidated subsoil structure is highlighted by means of numerical simulations of ground motion.

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Acknowledgment

We thank the associate editor J. Zahradnik, N. Mikhailova, and an anonymous reviewer for comments and suggestions that helped in improving the manuscript. The figures were drawn using GMT (Wessel and Smith 1991). A. Strollo helped with the organization of the BIVA array planning and installation. R. Milkereit improved figures. Kevin Fleming kindly revised our English. This research was supported by the Global Change Observatory Central Asia of the GFZ.

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Parolai, S., Bindi, D., Ullah, S. et al. The Bishkek vertical array (BIVA): acquiring strong motion data in Kyrgyzstan and first results. J Seismol 17, 707–719 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-012-9347-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-012-9347-y

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