Jean Robert Altidor
Dieuseul Anglade
Douglas D. Given
Doug Given
M. Guillard Janvier
J. Zebulon Maharrey
Mark E. Meremonte
B. S.-L. Mildor
Claude Prepetit
Alan K. Yong
Susan E. Hough
2010
<p><span>Local geological conditions, including both near-surface sedimentary layers</span><sup><a id="ref-link-section-d4102e437" title="Singh, S. K. et al. Some aspects of source characteristics of the 19 September 1985 Michoacan earthquake and ground motion amplification in and near Mexico City from strong motion data. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 78, 451–477 (1988)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR1" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 1" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR1">1</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e440" title="Hough, S. E. et al. Sediment-induced amplification and the collapse of the Nimitz freeway. Nature 344, 853–855 (1990)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR2" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 2" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR2">2</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e443" title="Su, F. et al. The relation between site amplification factor and surficial geology in central California. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 82, 580–602 (1992)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR3" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 3" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR3">3</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e446" title="Joyner, W. B. Strong motion from surface waves in deep sedimentary basins. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 90, S95–S112 (2000)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR4" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 4" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR4">4</a></sup><span> and topographic features</span><sup><a id="ref-link-section-d4102e450" title="Hartzell, S. H., Carver, D. L. & King, K. W. Initial investigation of site and topographic effects at Robinwood Ridge, California. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 84, 1336–1349 (1994)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR5" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 5" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR5">5</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e453" title="Spudich, P., Hellweg, M. & Lee, W. H. K. Directional topographic site response at Tarzana observed in aftershocks of the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake: Implications for mainshock motions. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 86, S193–S208 (1996)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR6" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 6" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR6">6</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e456" title="Bouchon, M., Schultz, C. A. & Toksoz, M. N. Effect of three-dimensional topography on seismic motion. J. Geophys. Res. 101, 5835–5846 (1996)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR7" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 7" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR7">7</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e459" title="Assimaki, D., Gazetas, G. & Kausel, E. Effects of local soil conditions and topographic aggravation of seismic motion: Parametric investigation and recorded field evidence from the 1999 Athens earthquake. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 95, 1059–1089 (2005)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR8" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 8" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR8">8</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e462" title="Lee, S. J., Chan, Y. C., Komatitsch, D., Huang, B. S. & Tromp, J. Effects of realistic surface topography on seismic ground motion in the Yangminshan region of Taiwan based on the spectral-element method and LiDAR DTM. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 99, 681–693 (2009)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR9" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 9" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR9">9</a></sup><span>, are known to significantly influence ground motions caused by earthquakes. Microzonation maps use local geological conditions to characterize seismic hazard, but commonly incorporate the effect of only sedimentary layers</span><sup><a id="ref-link-section-d4102e466" title="Allen, T. I. & Wald, D. J. On the use of high-resolution topographic data as a proxy for seismic site conditions (Vs30). Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 99, 935–943 (2009)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR10" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 10" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR10">10</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e469" title="Yong, A., Hough, S. E., Abrams, M. J. & Wills, C. J. Preliminary results for a semi-automated quantification of site effects using geomorphometry and ASTER satellite data for Mozambique, Pakistan, and Turkey. J. Earth Syst. Sci. 117, 797–808 (2009)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR11" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 11" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR11">11</a>,<a id="ref-link-section-d4102e472" title="Wills, C. J. et al. A site-conditions map for California based on geology and shear-wave velocity. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 90, S187–S208 (2000)." href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR12" data-track="click" data-track-action="reference anchor" data-track-label="link" data-test="citation-ref" aria-label="Reference 12" data-mce-href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo988#ref-CR12">12</a></sup><span>. Microzonation does not take into account local topography, because significant topographic amplification is assumed to be rare. Here we show that, although the extent of structural damage in the 2010 Haiti earthquake was primarily due to poor construction, topographic amplification contributed significantly to damage in the district of Petionville, south of central Port-au-Prince. A large number of substantial, relatively well-built structures situated along a foothill ridge in this district sustained serious damage or collapse. Using recordings of aftershocks, we calculate the ground motion response at two seismic stations along the topographic ridge and at two stations in the adjacent valley. Ground motions on the ridge are amplified relative to both sites in the valley and a hard-rock reference site, and thus cannot be explained by sediment-induced amplification. Instead, the amplitude and predominant frequencies of ground motion indicate the amplification of seismic waves by a narrow, steep ridge. We suggest that microzonation maps can potentially be significantly improved by incorporation of topographic effects.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1038/ngeo988
en
Nature Publishing Group
Localized damage associated with topographic amplification during the 12 January 2010 M 7.0 Haiti earthquake
article