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Site response studies in Peshawar using the Nakamura technique of HVSR

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A Correction to this article was published on 23 February 2021

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Abstract

In this study, soil response analysis in the Peshawar district is undertaken to characterize their local effects using experimental ambient noise measurements. The Nakamura HVSR method has been used to estimate the fundamental frequency of the soils at 75 test site locations, using a 3-component tomograph. Validation of the peak frequency of amplification of soils obtained was carried out using pre-, post-, and main-event data of real earthquake records in Peshawar and at excavated test sites. It has been found that the cultivated areas exhibit a large peak of H/V amplification (4) corresponding to resonance frequencies ranging from 1.3 to 2.1 Hz in contrast to hard-rock sites with low amplification. Some hard-rock sites have a thick cover of soil and a large variation in H/V peak amplification corresponding to frequency ranges from 3.3 to 10.5 Hz. The H/V curves for most of the sites result in a single peak of large amplification and could be associated with sharp discontinuities consistent with a large velocity contrast uni-model of a single layer overlying the bedrock. The site responses of the low fundamental frequencies corresponding to large amplitude are observed to enable identifying cultivated areas that form important inputs in the seismic hazard microzonation of the Peshawar district.

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Funding

The research described in this paper was financially supported by the National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, 25130, Pakistan

    Sarfraz Khan & Shoaib Jan

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar, KP, Pakistan

    Muhammad Waseem

Authors
  1. Sarfraz Khan
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  2. Muhammad Waseem
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  3. Shoaib Jan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Muhammad Waseem.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Longjun Dong

The original online version of this article was revised: This article has an error that was introduced during the publishing process. In this paper, Fig. 5b is mistakenly identical to Fig. 5a. The correct Fig. 5a, b and its caption are provided here.

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Khan, S., Waseem, M. & Jan, S. Site response studies in Peshawar using the Nakamura technique of HVSR. Arab J Geosci 14, 193 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-06527-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-06527-3

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