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Site characterization of the strong motion stations and evaluation of site effects in the Ankara region during the December 2007 and March 2008 moderate Bala earthquakes

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Abstract

Local site conditions may significantly affect the amplitude and frequency of ground motion during earthquakes. Recordings of recent major earthquakes have demonstrated that soil conditions can generate prominent amplification of ground shaking and can be compared with the amplification predicted by numerical simulation. This study analyzes the ground motion data from the December 2007 and March 2008 moderate Bala earthquake series considering the effect of soil conditions on ground shaking in the southern part of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. Initially, shear wave velocity profiles of the strong ground motion stations were evaluated to define site classifications for each station in Ankara and its surroundings. Strong motion data collected during the Bala earthquake series (M w range 5.6–4.8) were used to develop event-specific attenuation relationships for peak ground acceleration and spectral acceleration at various periods and different site conditions. Site amplification factors were derived from the regression results from the event-specific attenuation relationships for the Bala earthquake series. The implications of these ground motion amplification factors were also discussed and compared using the current seismic design codes. Finally, the response spectra from the recording stations were used to determine site amplification factors for different site conditions to evaluate the variability of the site response in localized regions in Ankara.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to express his gratitude to Professor Haluk Akgün for his invaluable comments and suggestions that helped to improve the manuscript. The author would also like to express his gratitude to Mr. A. Mert Eker and Mr. Karim Yousefi-Bavil who aided in the processing of the surface wave testing results, to Mr. Hakan Felek who provided field assistance and conducted the surface seismic testing studies and to Mrs Arzu Arslan-Kelam who provided assistance. Additionally, the author would like to acknowledge Mr. Ulubey Çeken who supplied the strong motion data from the temporary stations of AFAD-ED that were installed during the Bala earthquake series. The author would like to acknowledge the anonymous Reviewers for the excellent comments and suggestions that led to the improvement of the manuscript.

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  1. Earthquake Engineering Implementation and Research Center, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

    Mustafa Kerem Koçkar

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  1. Mustafa Kerem Koçkar
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Koçkar, M.K. Site characterization of the strong motion stations and evaluation of site effects in the Ankara region during the December 2007 and March 2008 moderate Bala earthquakes. Environ Earth Sci 75, 1128 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5921-x

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