[1] It is well known that soil sites have a profound effect on ground motion during large earthquakes. The complex structure of soil deposits and the highly nonlinear constitutive behavior of soils largely control nonlinear site response at soil sites. Measurements of nonlinear soil response under natural conditions are critical to advancing our understanding of soil behavior during earthquakes. Many factors limit the use of earthquake observations to estimate nonlinear site response such that quantitative characterization of nonlinear behavior relies almost exclusively on laboratory experiments and modeling of wave propagation. Here we introduce a new method for in situ characterization of the nonlinear behavior of a natural soil formation using measurements obtained immediately adjacent to a large vibrator source. To our knowledge, we are the first group to propose and test such an approach. Employing a large, surface vibrator as a source, we measure the nonlinear behavior of the soil by incrementally increasing the source amplitude over a range of frequencies and monitoring changes in the output spectra. We apply a homodyne algorithm for measuring spectral amplitudes, which provides robust signal-to-noise ratios at the frequencies of interest. Spectral ratios are computed between the receivers and the source as well as receiver pairs located in an array adjacent to the source, providing the means to separate source and near-source nonlinearity from pervasive nonlinearity in the soil column. We find clear evidence of nonlinearity in significant decreases in the frequency of peak spectral ratios, corresponding to material softening with amplitude, observed across the array as the source amplitude is increased. The observed peak shifts are consistent with laboratory measurements of soil nonlinearity. Our results provide constraints for future numerical modeling studies of strong ground motion during earthquakes.
Ambient ground-motion data were collected using phased seismic arrays in fall 2002 and spring 2007 within the Mississippi embayment and at a single station external to the embayment. These data allowed us to determine the wave-field composition of ambient noise for understanding wave-propagation mechanisms giving rise to spectral peaks using Nakamura's H/V technique. Ambient ground motions in the frequency band of 0.1-0.33 Hz (10-3 sec period) were dominated by spatially localized Rayleigh-and Love-wave microseisms generated by high-ocean waves along the North American seaboard in the time periods of analysis. Seismic waves important in forming the H/V peak near 4 sec period are composed of relatively highphase velocity Rayleigh and Love waves that convert to propagating homogeneous shear waves in the thick unconsolidated sediments of the embayment. The H/V resonant period is controlled by both constructive and destructive interference of these shear waves. A simple relationship for the H/V peak is given using a propagator matrix formulation that predicts the resonance frequency of a layered medium for surface wave motion at the base of the system. The amplitude of the observed H/V peak, however, does not give an accurate estimate of shear-wave amplification because it depends on the slowness of the incident wave. The inconsistency in estimated average shear-wave velocities using the H/V method and differential travel times of local earthquake Sp phases in the Mississippi embayment may be explained by misidentification of Sp-wave conversion points from deeper interfaces.
We present results from a prototype experiment in which we actively induce, observe, and quantify in situ nonlinear sediment response in the near surface. This experiment was part of a suite of experiments conducted during August 2004 in Garner Valley, California, using a large mobile shaker truck from the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) facility. We deployed a dense accelerometer array within meters of the mobile shaker truck to replicate a controlled, laboratory-style soil dynamics experiment in order to observe wave-amplitudedependent sediment properties. Ground motion exceeding 1g acceleration was produced near the shaker truck. The wave field was dominated by Rayleigh surface waves and ground motions were strong enough to produce observable nonlinear changes in wave velocity. We found that as the force load of the shaker increased, the Rayleighwave phase velocity decreased by as much as ∼30% at the highest frequencies used (up to 30 Hz). Phase velocity dispersion curves were inverted for S-wave velocity as a function of depth using a simple isotropic elastic model to estimate the depth dependence of changes to the velocity structure. The greatest change in velocity occurred nearest the surface, within the upper 4 m. These estimated S-wave velocity values were used with estimates of surface strain to compare with laboratory-based shear modulus reduction measurements from the same site. Our results suggest that it may be possible to characterize nonlinear soil properties in situ using a noninvasive field technique.
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