Estimating shear wave velocity using acceleration data in Antakya (Turkey)

This manuscript presents a site response analysis and an estimation of S-wave velocity that are dependent on acceleration data. First, existing data, such as density, seismic wave velocity, and soil cross-sections, are obtained from previous seismic microzonation studies and used to prepare input data for a suite of MATLAB routines, which are referred to as SUA software. Acceleration data are obtained from four free-field strong-motion stations of the SERAMAR project, which was conducted between 2006 and 2009 in conjunction with a Turkish-German joint research project, and inputted into the software as basic data. The results include a 1D velocity cross-section versus depth and an amplification model of the site. Three different depth levels can be determined for the ranges of 0-5 m, 5-15 m and 15-25 m. The seismic velocities vary between 380 and 470 m s-1 for the first 5 m; 320 and 480 m s-1 for 5-15 m; and 470 and 750 m s-1 for 15-25 m. These results are comparable with the amplification values from the microtremor data from previous studies. The 1D velocity models are appropriate for the soil conditions.