Attenuation Functions
Distance
Epicenter
Soil Column
How much
shaking here?
Focus
Fault
Bedrock
1
Attenuation Functions
Attenuation Function: Equation that allows a ground shaking
parameter (peak acceleration, peak velocity, spectral acceleration
or spectral velocity) to be estimated based on earthquake
magnitude, epicentral distance and some other general
characteristics about the seismic source or site in question
2
Assumptions Used to Develop
Attenuation Functions
1. For a given magnitude and source-site distance, there is a
most likely particle motion parameter (e.g. particle acceleration)
associated with that combination. There is also a significant
amount of statistical variability which exhibits a lognormal
distribution
occurrences
Number of
ln(ü)
Most likely ü
Log(AD)
MOMENT MAGNITUDE: Mw = - 10.7
1.5
3
Assumptions Used to Develop
Attenuation Functions
3. Seismic wave amplitude A decreases with increasing source-
site distance R due to geometric spreading:
Wave
Wave
Sphericical
Wave Front
4
Generic Form of an Attenuation Function
ln(Y) = C1+C2M+C3MC4+C5ln[R+C6exp(C7M)]+C8R+f(source)+f(site)
1 2 3 4 5 6
In this equation:
Y: ground motion parameter
C1 through C8: empirical constants
M: earthquake magnitude
R: source-site distance
C 9: standard deviation (not in equation)
5
Example of an Attenuation Function (cont.)
In this equation:
SSR and SHR = site condition factors: Alluvium or firm soil, SSR = SHR = 0
Soft rock, SSR = 1 and SHR = 0
Hard rock, SSR = SHR = 1