Seismic site effects in the Red Zone of Amatrice hill detected via the mutual sustainment of experimental and computational approaches

This paper presents the results of numerical analyses of ground motion in the Red Zone sector of Amatrice hill, violently struck by the 2016–2017 Central Italy seismic sequence. The methodologies used in processing the data to define the numerical model are firstly described. The results obtained from the computational analyses are then presented and discussed by comparing them with experimental data set of weak motion recordings. Computational analyses were performed via both a 2D-numerical FEM model and a pseudo-three-dimensional hybrid model (SiSeRHMap) which develops multispectral maps taking into account topographic effects. Starting from available geological data and geophysical measurements, an original and specific subsoil GIS model was developed and utilised to perform the computational analyses. The preliminary map for fundamental periods computed from the subsoil model is in good agreement with the experimental data. A restricted set of weak ground motions acquired from an accelerometric station located in a reference site was used as input for the numerical analyses, while the signals of the corresponding events recorded at the top of the hill were used as targets in the reliability evaluation analysis of the outputs. In the area of Amatrice hill, which is characterized by a complex geological and topographical context, the reliability analysis shows a good performance of the hybrid model compared to the 2D-FEM model in the prediction of seismic response. Agreement generally was also good with regards to the experimental and computational results, both in relation to the amplitude and to the shape of the spectral amplification that change depending on the hill sector. Considering the predictive reliability of the models, a high amplification, due to topographic effects, was observed for the Red Zone by performing a back-simulation of the 24th August 2016 main shock. The analysis results highlight also that the maximum amplification factors, based on the definition of the Housner intensity, occur in the interval of periods 0–0.5 s covering the fundamental period range of the buildings in this area.