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The dynamic amplification effect of a site with earth fissures: a case study in the Taiyuan Basin, China

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Abstract

As a widespread geological hazard, the disaster development process of earth fissures is irreversible and difficult to control, which seriously affects the construction and safe operation of engineering facilities. However, few clear conclusions and special regulations have been given regarding the influence of earth fissures on the dynamic response characteristics of a site and earthquake prevention and disaster reduction measures. Therefore, the microtremor was used instead of earthquake motions to reveal the dynamic response of a site with fissures. The earth fissures in the Taiyuan Basin, which exhibit a large amount of activity, were used as representative examples. In order to reveal the dynamic response from several aspects, four methods, including the Fourier spectrum, the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR), the response acceleration, and the Arias intensity, were employed. The results show that the spectrum peaks increase sharply at an earth fissure and return to a stable value approximately 20–25 m away from the fissure, indicating that the earth fissures have an amplification effect on the dynamic response of the site. Additionally, a greater amplification occurs on the hanging wall of the earth fissure. The influence range of the dynamic response of site can be divided into four areas. Suggestions on the seismic fortification intensity and setback distances were also proposed. After ground motion finite element simulation, the amplification effect of seismic response at the earth fissure site has been further confirmed. The amplification mechanism was summarized as the coupling of the changes in the soil properties caused by earth fissure activity, the catadioptric effect of the earth fissure interface, and the multiple amplifications caused by secondary fissures.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Yahong Deng, upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41772275) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 300102268203, No. 300102261716). All of the support provided is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geological Engineering and Geomatics, Chang’an University, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Jiang Chang, Yahong Deng, Ge Cao, You Xuan, Nainan He & Xunchang Zhao

  2. Key Laboratory of Mine Geological Hazards Mechanism and Control, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China

    Yahong Deng

  3. Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Huandong Mu

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  1. Jiang Chang
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Correspondence to Yahong Deng.

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We declare that we do not have any commercial or associative interest that represents a conflict of interest in connection with the work submitted. The data sets supporting the results of this article are included within the article and its additional files. All authors have read and approved this version of the article, and due care has been taken to ensure the integrity of the work. Neither the entire paper nor any part of its content has been published or has been accepted elsewhere. It is not being submitted to any other journal.

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Chang, J., Deng, Y., Cao, G. et al. The dynamic amplification effect of a site with earth fissures: a case study in the Taiyuan Basin, China. J Seismol 27, 769–788 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-023-10161-9

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