Effect of Seismic Bedrock Interface Depth on Surface Ground Motion Parameters of Deep Overburden Sites

Abstract

Ground response analysis and determination of site-specific ground motion parameters are necessary for evaluating seismic loads to enable sustainable design of aboveground and underground structures, particularly in deep overburden sites. This study investigates the influence of bedrock interface conditions and depth of soil deposits on obtained site-specific ground motion parameters. Employing the one-dimensional seismic response analysis program SOILQUAKE, the ground responses of five representative soil profiles and 1 050 case studies are calculated considering three different site models of seismic input interfaces. The analysis employs the actual bedrock interface with a shear wave velocity of 760 m/s as the reference input bedrock interface. The results illustrate that the selection of the bedrock interface condition significantly affects the seismic response on the ground surface of deep overburden sites. Specifically, the ground surface acceleration response spectra at longer periods are notably smaller compared to those at the actual bedrock site. This may present a challenge for designing long-period high-rise buildings situated in deep overburden sites. It is recommended to select a seismic input bedrock interface closely approximating the actual bedrock depth when conducting seismic response analyses for deep overburden sites.

Keywords

seismic bedrock interface / deep overburden sites / soilquake / frequency consistent method / seismic response

References

[1] BajajK, AnbazhaganP. Comprehensive Amplification Estimation of the Indo Gangetic Basin Deep Soil Sites in the Seismically Active Area. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 2019, 127105855

[2] BorgohainH, BaruahS, SharmaS. Site Characterisation and Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment in Tura City, Meghalaya. Journal of Earth System Science, 2024, 133284

[3] BradleyB A. Ground Motions Observed in the Darfield and Christchurch Earthquakes and the Importance of Local Site Response Effects. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 2012, 55(3): 279-286

[4] ChaudharyM T A. Influence of Site Conditions on Seismic Design Parameters for Foundations as Determined via Nonlinear Site Response Analysis. Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 275-303

[5] ChenG X, WangY Z, ZhaoD F, et al.. A New Effective Stress Method for Nonlinear Site Response Analyses. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 2021, 50(6): 1595-1611

[6] Falamarz-SheikhabadiM R, ZervaA. Two Uncertainties in Simulating Spatially Varying Seismic Ground Motions: Incoherency Coefficient and Apparent Propagation Velocity. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 2018, 16(10): 4427-4441

[7] FangY, LyuY J, PengY J, et al.. Influence of Input Interface Selection on Ground Motion Parameters in Seismic Response Analyses. China Earthquake Engineering Journal, 2018, 40(6): 1174-1182(in Chinese with English Abstract)

[8] GuptaN, DasJ, KanungoD P. Earthquake-Induced Landslide Hazard Assessment Using Ground Motion parameters: A Case Study for Bhagirathi Valley, Uttarakhand, India. Journal of Earth System Science, 2025, 13415

[9] HashashY M A, TsaiC C, PhillipsC, et al.. Soil-Column Depth-Dependent Seismic Site Coefficients and Hazard Maps for the Upper Mississippi Embayment. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 2008, 98(4): 2004-2021

[10] HashashY M A, MusgroveM I, HarmonJ A, et al.DEEPSOIL7.0, User Manual and Tutorial, 2017

[11] HongH C, XuH G, TaoX S, et al.. Determination and Effect of Earthquake Input Interface of Deep Governing Holes. Technology for Earthquake Disaster Prevention, 2013, 8(1): 52-61(in Chinese with English Abstract)

[12] JiangT, XingH L. A Simple Method Considering Effects of Confining Pressure on Dynamic Shear Moduli and Damping Ratio. Chinese Journal of Rock Mechanics and Engineering, 2007, 26(7): 1432-1437(in Chinese with English Abstract)

[13] JishnuR B, NaikS P, PatraN R, et al.. Ground Response Analysis of Kanpur Soil along Indo-Gangetic Plains. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 2013, 51: 47-57

[14] LashgariA, MossR E S. Displacement and Damage Analysis of Earth Dams during the 2023 Turkiye Earthquake Sequence. Earthquake Spectra, 2024, 40(2): 939-976

[15] LukeB, LiuY. Site Response Zones and Short-Period Earthquake Ground Motion Projections for the Las Vegas Basin. Journal of Earth System Science, 2008, 117(2): 757-772

[16] MalekmohammadiM, PezeshkS. Ground Motion Site Amplification Factors for Sites Located within the Mississippi Embayment with Consideration of Deep Soil Deposits. Earthquake Spectra, 2015, 31(2): 699-722

[17] MiaoY, HeH J, LiuH B, et al.. Reproducing Ground Response Using in-situ Soil Dynamic Parameters. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 2022, 51(10): 2449-2465

[18] Ministry of Construction of the People’s Republic of China.GB 5a0011-2010: Code for Seismic Design of Buildings, 2016, Beijing. China Architecture and Building Press. (in Chinese)

[19] MolnarS, SiroheyA, AssafJ, et al.. A Review of the Microtremor Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (MHVSR) Method. Journal of Seismology, 2022, 26(4): 653-685

[20] NajarI A, AhmadiR B, JamianM A H, et al.. Site-Specific Ground Response Analysis Using the Geotechnical Dataset in Moderate Seismicity Region. International Journal of Mechanics, 2022, 16: 37-45

[21] NEHRP. Selecting and Scaling Earthquake Ground Motions for Performing Response-History Analyses. Technical Report Prepared for the National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST GCR 11-917-15, 2011, Redwood City, California. National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Consultants Joint Venture.

[22] PitilakisK, TsinidisG. Performance and Seismic Design of Underground Structures. Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering Design, 2013, Cham. Springer International Publishing. 279340

[23] PengX B, YangW L, HongH C, et al.. Effect of Input Basement on Seismic Response of Deep Soil Deposit. Journal of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Engineering, 2017, 37(1): 33-38(in Chinese with English Abstract)

[24] PoovarodomN, JirasakjamroonsriA, WarnitchaiP. Development of New Design Spectral Accelerations for Bangkok Considering Deep Basin Effects. 16th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Santiago, Chile, 2017

[25] RahmanM Z, KamalA S M M, SiddiquaS. Near-Surface Shear Wave Velocity Estimation and V_s30 Mapping for Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Natural Hazards, 2018, 92(3): 1687-1715

[26] RaptakisD, Chávez-GarcíaF J, MakraK, et al.. Site Effects at Euroseistest—I. Determination of the Valley Structure and Confrontation of Observations with 1D Analysis. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 2000, 19(1): 1-22

[27] RollinsK M, EvansM D, DiehlN B, et al.. Shear Modulus and Damping Relationships for Gravels. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 1998, 124(5): 396-405

[28] SchnabelP B, LysmerJ, SeedH BSHAKE: A Computer Program for Earthquake Response Analysis of Horizontal Layer Sites, 1972, Berkeley. University of California. Report No. EERC-72-12

[29] Shanghai Municipal Commission of HousingUrban-Rural DevelopmentDG/TJ 08-9-2023: Standard for Seismic Design of Buildings, 2023, Shanghai. Tongji University Press. (in Chinese)

[30] ShenY Y, Hesham El NaggarM, ZhangD M, et al.. Scalar- and Vector-Valued Seismic Fragility Assessment of Segmental Shield Tunnel Lining in Liquefiable Soil Deposits. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, 2025, 155106171

[31] Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of ChinaGB 17741-2025: Evaluation of Seismic Safety for Engineering Sites, 2025, Beijing. China Standards Press. (in Chinese)

[32] WangW B, LiY D, ShanY, et al.. Assessment of Applicability of Equivalent Linear and Nonlinear Analysis Methods for Site Response Analysis in Deep Soil Site. Japanese Geotechnical Society Special Publication, 2024, 10(14): 411-416

[33] YuanX M, LiR S, SunR. A New Generation Method for Earthquake Response Analysis of Soil Layers. China Civil Engineering Journal, 2016, 49(10): 95-102122

[34] ZhangY J, LanH L, CuiY G. Statistical Studies on Shear Modulus Ratios and Damping Ratios of Soil in Shanghai Area. World Earthquake Engineering, 2010, 26(2): 171-175(in Chinese with English Abstract)

[35] ZhuC B, PilzM, CottonF. Evaluation of a Novel Application of Earthquake HVSR in Site-Specific Amplification Estimation. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 2020, 139106301

[36] ZhuC B, RigaE, PitilakisK, et al.. Seismic Aggravation in Shallow Basins in Addition to One-Dimensional Site Amplification. Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 2020, 24(9): 1477-1499

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, Part of Springer Nature