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Investigation on regional attenuation of Vrancea (Romania) intermediate-depth earthquakes

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Abstract

This paper aims at investigating possible regional attenuation patterns in the case of Vrancea (Romania) intermediate-depth earthquakes. Almost 500 pairs of horizontal components recorded during 13 intermediate-depth Vrancea earthquakes are employed in order to evaluate the regional attenuation patterns. The recordings are grouped according to the azimuth with regard to the Vrancea seismic source and subsequently, Q models are computed for each azimuthal zone assuming similar geometrical spreading. Moreover, the local soil amplification which was disregarded in a previous analysis performed for Vrancea intermediate-depth earthquakes is now clearly evaluated. The results show minor differences between the four regions situated in front of the Carpathian Mountains and considerable differences in attenuation of seismic waves between the forearc and backarc regions (with regard to the Carpathian Mountains). Consequently, an average Q model of the type Q(f) = 115×f 1.25 is obtained for the four forearc regions, while a separate Q model of the type Q(f) = 70×f0.90 is computed for the backarc region. These results highlight the need to evaluate the seismic hazard of Romania by using ground motion models which take into account the different attenuation between the forearc/backarc regions.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS–UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-0697. The support is gratefully acknowledged. The constructive feedback from one anonymous reviewer and from the Editors is also greatly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Seismic Risk Assessment Research Center, Technical University of Civil Engineering, Bucharest, 020396, Romania

    Florin Pavel & Radu Vacareanu

  2. Seismic Risk Assessment Center, Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, Bd. Lacul Tei, no. 122–124, Sector 2, Bucharest, 020396, Romania

    Florin Pavel

Authors
  1. Florin Pavel
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  2. Radu Vacareanu
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Correspondence to Florin Pavel.

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Supported by: Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-0697

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Pavel, F., Vacareanu, R. Investigation on regional attenuation of Vrancea (Romania) intermediate-depth earthquakes. Earthq. Eng. Eng. Vib. 17, 501–509 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-018-0458-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-018-0458-5

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