The 2001 M 6.8 Nisqually, Washington, earthquake was recorded by more than 70 strong motion sites in and around the Puget Sound region. We have characterized the shear-wave velocity (VS) structure down to depths of 100 to 300 ft at the 32 permanent strong motion sites, which recorded the highest ground motions (peak horizontal ground accelerations [PGA] of 0.04 to 0.31 g), using the Spectral-Analysis-of-Surface-Waves (SASW) technique. Most of the surveyed sites are underlain by glacial till (Qvt) with the remaining sites on Holocene alluvium (Qal), glacial recessional (Qvr) and advance outwash deposits (Qva), or manmade fill/modified ground (m). VS30 values for Qvt and Qvr range from 1,266 to 1,769 ft/sec and 1,139 to 1,826 ft/sec, respectively, corresponding to NEHRP site class C. In general, a pattern of higher PGAs with lower VS30 was not observed suggesting that VS30 cannot account for all site effects on the 2001 Nisqually ground motions.
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Research Article|
February 01, 2011
Shear-Wave Velocity Profiling of Strong Motion Sites that Recorded the 2001 Nisqually, Washington, Earthquake
Ivan G. Wong;
Ivan G. Wong
M.EERI
a)
URS Corporation, Seismic Hazards Group, 1333 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland, CA 94612
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Kenneth H. Stokoe, II;
Kenneth H. Stokoe, II
M.EERI
b)
University of Texas at Austin, Geotechnical Engineering Center, 1 University Station C1793, Austin, TX 78712
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Brady R. Cox;
Brady R. Cox
M.EERI
c)
University of Arkansas, Department of Civil Engineering, 4190 Bell Engineering Center 4155A, Fayetteville, AR 72701
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Yin-Cheng Lin;
Yin-Cheng Lin
b)
University of Texas at Austin, Geotechnical Engineering Center, 1 University Station C1793, Austin, TX 78712
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Farn-Yuh Menq
Farn-Yuh Menq
b)
University of Texas at Austin, Geotechnical Engineering Center, 1 University Station C1793, Austin, TX 78712
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Ivan G. Wong
M.EERI
a)
URS Corporation, Seismic Hazards Group, 1333 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland, CA 94612
Kenneth H. Stokoe, II
M.EERI
b)
University of Texas at Austin, Geotechnical Engineering Center, 1 University Station C1793, Austin, TX 78712
Brady R. Cox
M.EERI
c)
University of Arkansas, Department of Civil Engineering, 4190 Bell Engineering Center 4155A, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Yin-Cheng Lin
b)
University of Texas at Austin, Geotechnical Engineering Center, 1 University Station C1793, Austin, TX 78712
Farn-Yuh Menq
b)
University of Texas at Austin, Geotechnical Engineering Center, 1 University Station C1793, Austin, TX 78712
Publisher: Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Received:
24 Mar 2010
Accepted:
24 Jun 2010
First Online:
09 Jun 2020
Online ISSN: 1944-8201
Print ISSN: 8755-2930
© 2011 Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Earthquake Spectra (2011) 27 (1): 183–212.
Article history
Received:
24 Mar 2010
Accepted:
24 Jun 2010
First Online:
09 Jun 2020
Citation
Ivan G. Wong, Kenneth H. Stokoe, Brady R. Cox, Yin-Cheng Lin, Farn-Yuh Menq; Shear-Wave Velocity Profiling of Strong Motion Sites that Recorded the 2001 Nisqually, Washington, Earthquake. Earthquake Spectra 2011;; 27 (1): 183–212. doi: https://doi.org/10.1193/1.3534936
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Index Terms/Descriptors
- acceleration
- alluvium
- body waves
- Cascadia subduction zone
- Cenozoic
- clastic sediments
- earthquakes
- elastic waves
- ground motion
- Holocene
- Juan de Fuca Plate
- King County Washington
- Nisqually earthquake 2001
- North American Plate
- peak ground acceleration
- Pierce County Washington
- plate tectonics
- Puget Sound
- Quaternary
- S-waves
- Seattle Washington
- sediments
- seismic waves
- seismicity
- ShakeMap
- strong motion
- subduction zones
- Tacoma Washington
- till
- United States
- velocity
- Washington
- Bremerton Washington
- Olympia Washington
- Olympia earthquake 1949
- Seattle-Tacoma earthquake 1965
- Bellevue Washington
- Nisqually Washington
- Seward Park Washington
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