Skip to main content

Comparative Study of Microtremor Analysis Methods

  • Chapter
Earthquake Microzoning

Abstract

During a multidisciplinary microzonation pilot project in the city of Heraklion (Crete, Greece), microtremor data were collected at the top of exploratory boreholes specifically designed for the purposes of the project, over a period of 5 days, for 4 h/day at 125 Hz (continuous recordings). The data were analysed with the SSR and H/V Ratio techniques, using the standard FFT (applied to long data series) and a Multi-variate Maximum Entropy (MV-MAXENT) spectral analysis method. Both techniques, implemented with both spectral analysis methods, identify the same major resonance frequency band, albeit with different amplification levels. The MV-MAXENT however is effective in handling short data lengths while yielding high resolution spectra and addressing several shortcomings of the conventional FFT (windowing, zero padding etc.). Thus, it yields competitively similar results, with only a fraction (a few minutes) of the data required by the lower resolution (FFT) method and appears to be a powerful tool for site effect investigations. Moreover, the results of both microtremor-based techniques are consistent and remarkably similar to the results of microzonation methods that require (expensive) borehole data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Akaike, H. (1969), Power Spectrum Estimation through Auto-regressive Model Fitting, Ann. Inst. Stat. Math., Tokyo, 21, 243–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aki, K. (1957), Space and Time Spectra of Stationary Stochastic Waves with Special Reference to Microtremors, Bull. Earthq. Res. Inst. 35, 415–457.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aki, K. (1993), Local Site Effects on Weak and Strong Ground Motion, Tectonophysics 218, 93–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bard, P.-Y. (1995), Effects of Surface Geology on Ground Motion: Recent results and remaining issues, Proc. 10th European Conf. on Earth. Engin., Vienna, 1, 305–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borcherdt, R. D. and Ebbs, J. F. (1976), Effects of Local Geological Conditions in the San Fransisco Bay Region on Ground Motions and the Intensities of the 1906 Earthquake, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 66, 467–500.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boukovalas, G. (1997), Seismic Response Analysis and Soil Stability Investigation in the Area of Heraklion City Crete Island, Project report in the frame of AUTO-SEISMO-GEOTECH, Project.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burg, J. P. (1968), A New Analysis for Time Series Data,Paper presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Signal Processing with Emphasis in Underwater Acoustics, Enschede, The Netherlands, August 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brillinger, D. R., Time Series. Data Analysis and Theory (Holden-Day, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • Chavez-Garcia, F. J., Pedotti, G., Hatzfeld, D., and Bard, P. Y. (1990), An Experimental Study of Site Effects near Thessaloniki (Northern Greece), Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 80, 784–806.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duval, A-M. (1994), DĂ©termination de la rĂ©ponse d’un site aux sĂ©ismes Ă  l’aide du bruit de fond: Evaluation expĂ©rimentale, Ph.D. Thesis, Pierre et Marie Curie University — Paris 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edafomihaniki, Ltd. (1996), “Project: [9521] Auto-Seismo-Geotech, Geotechnical Investigation.”

    Google Scholar 

  • Field, E. H. and Jacob, K. (1993), The Theoretical Response of Sedimentary Layers to Ambient Seismic Noise, Geophys. Res. Lett. 20–24, 2925–2928.

    Google Scholar 

  • Field, E. H. and Jacob, K. (1995)A Comparison and Test of Various Site-response Estimation Techniques,Including three that are not Reference-site Dependent,Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.85, 1127–1143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hough, S. E., Seeber, L., Rovelli, A., Malagini, L., Decesare, A., Selveggi, G., and Lerner-Lam, A. (1992), Ambient Noise and Weak-motion Excitation of Sediment Resonances: Results from the Tiber Valley,Italy, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 82, 1186–1205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaynes, E. T., New Engineering applications of information theory. In Proc 1st Symp. Engin. Appl. Random Function Theory and Probability (Bogdanof, J. L. and Kozin, F., eds), (Wiley, New York 1963) pp. 163–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaynes, E. T. (1968), Prior probabilities,IEEE Trans Systems Sci. Cybern., SEC-4, 227–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaynes, E. T. (1982), On the rationale of maximum entropy methods, Proc. IEEE 70, 939.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarpe, S. P., Cramer, C. H., Tucker, B. E., and Shakal, A. F. (1988), A Comparison of Observations of Ground Response to Weak and Strong Motion at Coalinga, California, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 78, 421–435.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, G. M. and Watts, D. G., Spectral Analysis (Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1968).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kromer, R. (1970), Asymptotic Properties of the Autoregressive Spectral Estimator,Ph.D. Thesis, Stanford University, Stanford CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lachet, C. and Bard, P.-Y. (1994), Numerical and Theoretical Investigations on the Possibilities and Limitations of the Nakamura’s Technique, J. Phys. Earth 42, 377–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lermo, J. and Chavez-Garcia, F. G. (1993), Site Effect Evaluation Using Spectral Ratios with only one Station, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 83, 1574–1594.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lermo, J. and Chavez-Garcia, F. J. (1994), Are Microtremors Useful in Site Response Evaluation?, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 84, 1350–1364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morf, M., Vieira, A., Lee, D. T. L., and Kailath, T. (1978), Recursive Multichannel Maximum Entropy Spectral Estimation, IEEE Trans. on Geoscience Electronics GE-16, 85–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura, Y. (1989), A Method for Dynamic Characteristics Estimation of Subsurface Using Microtremor on the Ground Surface, Quarterly Rept. R.T.R.I, Jap. 30, 25–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Omote, S., Srivastava, H. N., Drakopoulos, J., and Tokumitsu, T. (1972), Investigations of Microtremors in the Akita Plain in Japan,Pure appl. geophys. 99, 85–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ohmachi, T., Nakamura, Y., and Toshinawa, T. (1991), Ground motion characteristics in the San Francisco Bay area detected by microtremor measurements. In Proc. 2nd Intern. Conf. on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earth. Engin. and Soil Dyn., March 11–15, St. Louis, Missouri, 1643–1648.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raptakis, D., Theodulidis, N., and Pitilakis, K. (1998), Data Analysis of the EUROSEISTEST Strong Motion Array in Volvi (Greece): Standard and Horizontal-to-vertical Spectral Ratio Techniques,Earthquake Spectra 14, 203–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strand, O. N. (1977), Multichannel Complex Maximum Entropy (Autoregressive) Spectral Analysis,IEEE Trans. on Autom. Control, AC-22, 634–640.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seht and Wohlenberg (1999), Microtremor Measurements Used to Map Thickness of Soft Sediments, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 89, 250–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Theodulidis, N. and Bard, P.-Y. (1995), Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio and Geological Conditions: An Analysis of Strong Motion Data From Greece and Taiwan (SMART-1), Soil Dyn. and Earthq. Eng. 14, 177–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Theodulidis, N., Archuleta, R. J., Bard, P.-Y., and Bouchon, M. (1996), Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio and Geological Conditions: The Case of Garner Valley Downhole Array in Southern California, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86, 306–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, B. E. and King, J. L. (1984), Dependence of Sediment filled Valley Response on the Input Amplitude and the Valley Properties, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 74, 153–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, B. E., King, J. L., Hatzfeld, D., and Nersesov, I. L. (1984), Observations of Hard Rock Site Effects, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 74, 121–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ulrych, T. J. and Bishop, T. N. (1975), Maximum entropy spectral analysis and autoregressive decomposition. In Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 183–200, February 1975.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2002 Springer Basel AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Diagourtas, D., Tzanis, A., Makropoulos, K. (2002). Comparative Study of Microtremor Analysis Methods. In: Roca, A., Oliveira, C. (eds) Earthquake Microzoning. Pageoph Topical Volumes. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8177-7_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8177-7_11

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-7643-6652-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-8177-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics