The paper focuses on the strong motion array deployed in the upper Aterno River Valley, in the immediate outskirts north-west of the town of L'Aquila, which is part of the Italian Strong Motion Network operated by the Department of Civil Protection. The array is composed of six accelerometric stations located along a cross section of the valley. The importance of this array relies on the fact that a large amount of high-quality records were obtained during the 2009 L'Aquila seismic sequence, from both the mainshock and several aftershocks. These data are especially important to investigate site effects in sediment-filled valleys during moderate earthquakes in epicentral area because well-documented observational studies are very limited in the literature. However, the main drawback for the study of site effects in the Aterno valley is the lack of a detailed knowledge of the geometry of the valley, soil layering and dynamic properties of materials. The main motivation for this study stems from the need to provide a reliable subsoil model of the valley coupled with high-quality strong motion data. Based on the above, in the framework of S4 project, a major effort was undertaken to get a trustworthy cross section of the valley by an ad hoc investigation, comprising geological and geotechnical surveys as well as an extensive geophysical campaign, characterized by both active and passive measurements. These results were complemented by additional geological and geotechnical data available in the literature. By merging all the information acquired, a 2D subsoil model of the transversal section of the upper Aterno valley has been produced. The valley is characterised by an asymmetric shape with a shallower rock basement at the western edge of the valley that deepens at the valley centre. Moreover, based on the results of geophysical tests, representative Vs values were assigned to the different lithologic units forming the alluvial deposits filling the valley. Shear wave velocity is a fundamental parameter for ground response studies and it is also effective in classifying the accelerometric station from a seismic point of view. The 2D model may be therefore, considered a benchmark model for future studies of site effects. It will offer the possibility to examine site effects with a complex underlying geology and to validate the results of numerical simulations of site response analyses with the numerous observations from earthquake recordings, both for weak and strong ground motion conditions. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

The Aterno valley strong-motion array: Seismic characterization and determination of subsoil model / Lanzo, Giuseppe; M., Tallini; G., Milana; G., Di Capua; F., Del Monaco; Alessandro, Pagliaroli; S., Peppoloni. - In: BULLETIN OF EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING. - ISSN 1570-761X. - STAMPA. - 9:6(2011), pp. 1855-1875. [10.1007/s10518-011-9301-3]

The Aterno valley strong-motion array: Seismic characterization and determination of subsoil model

LANZO, Giuseppe;
2011

Abstract

The paper focuses on the strong motion array deployed in the upper Aterno River Valley, in the immediate outskirts north-west of the town of L'Aquila, which is part of the Italian Strong Motion Network operated by the Department of Civil Protection. The array is composed of six accelerometric stations located along a cross section of the valley. The importance of this array relies on the fact that a large amount of high-quality records were obtained during the 2009 L'Aquila seismic sequence, from both the mainshock and several aftershocks. These data are especially important to investigate site effects in sediment-filled valleys during moderate earthquakes in epicentral area because well-documented observational studies are very limited in the literature. However, the main drawback for the study of site effects in the Aterno valley is the lack of a detailed knowledge of the geometry of the valley, soil layering and dynamic properties of materials. The main motivation for this study stems from the need to provide a reliable subsoil model of the valley coupled with high-quality strong motion data. Based on the above, in the framework of S4 project, a major effort was undertaken to get a trustworthy cross section of the valley by an ad hoc investigation, comprising geological and geotechnical surveys as well as an extensive geophysical campaign, characterized by both active and passive measurements. These results were complemented by additional geological and geotechnical data available in the literature. By merging all the information acquired, a 2D subsoil model of the transversal section of the upper Aterno valley has been produced. The valley is characterised by an asymmetric shape with a shallower rock basement at the western edge of the valley that deepens at the valley centre. Moreover, based on the results of geophysical tests, representative Vs values were assigned to the different lithologic units forming the alluvial deposits filling the valley. Shear wave velocity is a fundamental parameter for ground response studies and it is also effective in classifying the accelerometric station from a seismic point of view. The 2D model may be therefore, considered a benchmark model for future studies of site effects. It will offer the possibility to examine site effects with a complex underlying geology and to validate the results of numerical simulations of site response analyses with the numerous observations from earthquake recordings, both for weak and strong ground motion conditions. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
2011
microtremors; aterno valley; l'aquila earthquake; seismic characterization; subsoil model; strong-motion array
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
The Aterno valley strong-motion array: Seismic characterization and determination of subsoil model / Lanzo, Giuseppe; M., Tallini; G., Milana; G., Di Capua; F., Del Monaco; Alessandro, Pagliaroli; S., Peppoloni. - In: BULLETIN OF EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING. - ISSN 1570-761X. - STAMPA. - 9:6(2011), pp. 1855-1875. [10.1007/s10518-011-9301-3]
File allegati a questo prodotto
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/500770
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 24
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 24
social impact