Abstract Database :: STRONG GROUND MOTION SIMULATION OF THE JANUARY 13, 2001 EL SALVADOR EARTHQUAKE USING EMPIRICAL GREEN’S FUNCTION METHOD

Abstract Database

STRONG GROUND MOTION SIMULATION OF THE JANUARY 13, 2001 EL SALVADOR EARTHQUAKE USING EMPIRICAL GREEN’S FUNCTION METHOD

MEE08157

Nelson Eduardo Ayala Leiva

Supervisor: Toshiaki YOKOI

Country: El Salvador

Abstractfulltext

In January and February 2001, a very intense seismic activity occurred in

El Salvador

, it caused many damages in the country. The biggest two earthquakes with magnitude M_w= 7.7 and M_w= 6.5 occurred exactly one month separation, the first one occurred on January 13 and the second one on February 13.

Using the empirical Green’s function method we simulated the January 13, 2001 earthquake using strong ground motion data (accelerograms) and an aftershock with magnitude M_w= 5.7. We used source spectral fitting method in order to find an estimation of parameters to be used in EGF method.

Two fault plane models determined by previous studies were considered for the simulation in this study. One has strike/ dip/ rake angles 306.°/ 48.°/ -107.° and another 297.°/ 58.°/ -93.°, respectively. For the former we tested two possibilities with the same asperity area (30 km x 30 km) but different number of subfaults.

We performed the ground motion simulation for three stations with large PGA and PGV values and a clear directivity pulse. From the result we determined that the former fault model provided us with the best results obtained in this study. This fault model is composed by a grid of 36 subfaults with individual area of 5 km x 5 km.

Citation:

Bulletin of IISEE, 44, 13-18.