Site characterization and site response in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Earthquake Spectra
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Abstract
Waveform analysis of aftershocks of the Mw7.0 Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010 reveals amplification of ground motions at sites within the Cul de Sac valley in which Port-au-Prince is situated. Relative to ground motions recorded at a hard-rock reference site, peak acceleration values are amplified by a factor of approximately 1.8 at sites on low-lying Mio-Pliocene deposits in central Port-au-Prince and by a factor of approximately 2.5–3 on a steep foothill ridge in the southern Port-au-Prince metropolitan region. The observed amplitude, predominant periods, variability, and polarization of amplification are consistent with predicted topographic amplification by a steep, narrow ridge. A swath of unusually high damage in this region corresponds with the extent of the ridge where high weak-motion amplifications are observed. We use ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) imagery to map local geomorphology, including characterization of both near-surface and of small-scale topographic structures that correspond to zones of inferred amplification.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Site characterization and site response in Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Series title | Earthquake Spectra |
| DOI | 10.1193/1.3637947 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | S1 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Earthquake Engineering Research Institute |
| Contributing office(s) | Earthquake Science Center |
| Description | 19 p. |
| First page | 137 |
| Last page | 155 |
| Country | Haiti |
| City | Port-au-prince |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |