A study of response spectra for different geological conditions in Gujarat, India

In this study, the effect of ground geology on the acceleration response spectra is studied at 32 sites in Gujarat, India. The sites are grouped into Proterozoic, Mesozoic, Tertiary and Quaternary. The normalized acceleration response spectra at 5% damping of 407 strong ground motions (horizontal and vertical components) recorded at these sites varying in magnitude from 3.0 to 5.7 are determined. The study shows that the shape of the acceleration response spectra is influenced by the regional geology and local site conditions. The peak of maximum horizontal spectral amplification is between 0.03 and 0.05 s in Proterozoic formations, 0.06 and 0.10 s in Mesozoic formations, 0.06 and 0.08 s in Tertiary and 0.12s in Quaternary formations. The maximum vertical spectral acceleration is at 0.025 s in Proterozoic, 0.07 s in Mesozoic, 0.05 s in Tertiary and 0.10 s in Quaternary formations. The average acceleration amplification factor in all the geological formations is between 2.5 and 3.0 both in horizontal and vertical components. It has been observed that acceleration response spectra at sites having same geological formations are also influenced by local site conditions. The study shows that the acceleration response spectrum in the current Indian code applicable for the entire country underestimates the seismic forces at hard-rock sites and overestimates at soft-soil sites. Using recorded strong motion data with Mw ranging from 3.5 to 5.7, an attenuation relationship is developed at six periods to predict geometric mean of horizontal spectral amplitudes for rock and soil sites. The spectral amplitudes predicted with the attenuation relationship match well with the observed one within statistical limits for hypocentral distances less than 200 km. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.