7th International Conference on Environmental and Engineering Geophysics &

Summit Forum of Chinese Academy of Engineering on Engineering Science and Technology

Obtaining Shear-Wave Velocity Structure from

Broadband Seismic and Strong-Motion Recordings
Zhenming Wang Mianshui Rong Seth Carpenter
Kentucky Geological Survey Institute of Crustal Dynamics Kentucky Geological Survey
University of Kentucky China Earthquake Administration University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky, USA Beijing, China Lexington, Kentucky, USA
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract—Horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) II. HORIZONTAL-TO-VERTICAL SPECTRAL RATIO ANALYSIS

analysis and inversion were applied to S-waves from a large AND INVERSION
database of broadband seismic and strong-motion recordings.
The S-wave HVSR, in comparison with ambient noise spectral Since it was introduced in 1989 by Nakamura[6], the HVSR
ratio, contains much information on the shear-wave velocity method has been widely used for estimating shear-wave
structure. In other words, inversion of S-wave HVSR provides a velocity of near-surface soils from ambient-noise/microtremor
detailed shear-wave velocity structure, which can be better used measurements. For example, several studies have derived
for nonlinear site-response analysis. The results showed that the shear-wave velocity profiles from ambient-noise/microtremor
HVSR of the S-wave can be used to improve or constrain the soil HVSR analyses[1][8]. The HVSR method has also been applied
shear-wave velocity profile obtained from other methods. to strong motions from earthquakes[4][5][7]. For example, Lermo
and Chavez-Garcia [4] found that the HVSR of the S-wave part
Keywords—shear-wave velocity; horizontal-to-vertical spectral of the strong-motion record can be used to estimate the
ratio (HVSR); broadband seismic recordings; strong-motion empirical transfer function.
recordings
As shown by Kawase and others[3], HVSR is related to
I. INTRODUCTION shear-wave velocity structure. The observed HVSR’s of the S-
Near-surface shear-wave velocity structure is of wave can be used to derive shear-wave velocity structure by
engineering interest. For example, in current engineering inversion. A combination of the simple and the guided Monte
practice, the site coefficient for seismic design is determined Carlo search can be used for the inversion[2]:
by the time-weighted average of shear-wave velocity for the
top 30 m of soils. There are several noninvasive methods,

misfit    HVSROBS ( f i )  HVSRTHE ( f i ) Wi 
2

including surface refraction/reflection, spectral analysis i (1)

surface waves (SASW), multichannel analysis of surface
waves (MASW), ambient noise spectral ratio, and random where indices OBS and THE stand for the observed and
microtremor (REMi), for characterizing shear-wave velocity theoretical HVSR of the S-wave, and Wi is the weight
structure. These methods have many advantages, such as cost- defined by:
effectiveness and being environmentally friendly; they also
have some disadvantages, such as nonuniqueness and other Wi  [ HVSROBS ( fi )]E E  0
, . (2)
physical limitations. Thus, how to obtain a reliable shear-wave
velocity structure from these methods is still being researched. This inversion algorithm can be applied to the S-wave HVSR
of broadband seismic and strong-motion recordings to obtain
shear-wave velocity structure[7].
Recent large-scale deployments of broadband and
strong-motion stations in the United States (i.e., EarthScope III. DATA AND RESULTS
Project: www.earthscope.org) and China (i.e., China Strong The China Strong Motion Network Center (CSMNC)
Motion Networks: 222.222.119.9; China Seismic Array: (www.csmnc.net) operates the National Strong-Motion
www.chinaarray.org) have provided a large database and Observation Network System of China (NSMONS), which
opportunity for research on reliable characterization of shear- consists of more than 1,700 stations throughout China.
wave velocity. We used strong-motion recordings from the NSMONS has recorded more than 200 earthquakes with M >
China Strong Motion Networks in China and broadband 4.7, including the 12 May 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan and 20
seismic recordings from the EarthScope Project in the central April 2013 Ms 7.0 Lushan earthquakes. The Ms 8.0
United States to derive shear-wave velocity profiles with the Wenchuan earthquake occurred along the central and northern
horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method. segments of the Longmen Shan Fault in Sichuan Province,
western China. More than 1,400 strong-motion components
from the Wenchuan earthquake’s mainshock and more than
20,000 strong-motion components from aftershocks were

© 2016. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press 394

recorded by NSMONS. The Lushan earthquake occurred on
the southern segment of the Longmen Shan Fault. Ground
motions from the mainshock of the Lushan earthquake were
observed at 92 stations, and more than 1,000 strong-motion
components from aftershocks were recorded by NSMONS.
The strong-motion records from 21 stations located within 300
km of the Longmen Shan Fault were used for S-wave HVSR
analysis and inversion (Fig. 1) (Rong and others, 2016).
Figure 2 shows three components of acceleration time
histories recorded at station 51SFB from the 2013 Lushan
mainshock (Ms7.0) and S-wave windows. Figure 3 shows the
observed HVSR and theoretical HVSR of the S-wave (E-W
component) from aftershocks (small events) for the initial and
inverted shear-wave velocity models (Table I) at station
51SFB.
Table I. INITIAL AND INVERTED SOIL STRUCTURES AT STATION
51SFB.

Initial Model Inverted Model

Th Vs  Vs
No. Th (m)  (g/m3)
(m) (m/s) (g/m3) (m/s)

1 3.3 136 1.8 1.4 42 1.7

2 5.1 263 2.3 6.4 283 2.6

3 0.6 150 2.0 0.4 124 2.0

4 3.0 452 2.5 0.9 521 2.4 Fig. 2. Three components of acceleration time histories recorded at station
51SFB from the 2013 Lushan mainshock (Ms7.0).
5 Half
3.2 548 2.6 548 2.6
scpace

Fig. 3. Comparison of the observed HVSR and theoretical HVSR for the
initial and inverted shear-wave velocity models at station 51SFB. The bold
black line is the average of observed S-waves from aftershocks (small events),
the shaded area represents its 95% confidence limit, the red line is the best-fit
model, and the dashed line is the initial model.

Fig. 4 shows locations of selected EarthScope USArray

Transportable Array and strong motion stations in and near the
New Madrid (NMSZ) and Wabash Valley Seismic Zones
Fig. 1. Locations of the mainshock and aftershock of the 2008 Wenchuan and (WVSZ) in the central United States. All the data for TA and
2013 Lushan earthquakes and strong-motion stations within 300 km of the
Longmen Shan Fault.
strong motion stations can be obtained through IRIS’s
BREQ_FAST data service at //ds.iris.edu/ds/nodes/dmc.
Figure 5 shows waveforms from a magnitude 3.9 earthquake

395
recorded at station U44A and S-wave windows. Figure 6
shows the HVSR’s for ambient noise (a) and the S-wave (b)
from the magnitude 3.9 earthquake at station U44A. The
ambient-noise HVSR was determined by averaging
horizontal- (square root of the sum of the squares of both
orthogonal horizontal components) and vertical-component
amplitude spectra calculated from 10-minute-long, 50%
overlapping windows of 6 hr. of continuous waveform data,
and determining the ratio of the averages. As shown in Figure
3, the ambient-noise HVSR is simple: only one dominant
peak at about 0.3 Hz, whereas the S-wave HVSR is more
complex: several peaks, including the one at about 0.3 Hz. In
other words, the S-wave HVSR can provide more detailed
information on shear-wave velocity structure than the
ambient-noise HVSR can. Thus, the inversion of the S-wave
HVSR can provide a more detailed shear-wave velocity
structure.

IV.SUMMARY
A large database of broadband seismic and strong-motion
recordings, S-waves in particular, in the United States and
China provides an opportunity for research on shear-wave
velocity structure using HVSR analysis and inversion. The S-
wave HVSR contains much information on shear-wave Fig. 4. Locations of selected EarthScope USArray Transportable Array and
velocity structure. The inversion of the S-wave HVSR can strong motion stations in and near the New Madrid (NMSZ) and Wabash
Valley Seismic Zones (WVSZ). Stations are colored by network: TA =
provide a more detailed shear-wave velocity structure. Rong USArray Transportable Array, KY = University of Kentucky, NM = New
and others [7] used the inverted shear-wave velocity structure Madrid, IU = IRIS/USGS GSN. Earthquakes from 2011/07 through 2013/07
for a nonlinear site response analysis with a 1-D equivalent- are also shown.
linear site-response model, and showed that the spectral ratios
(i.e., transfer functions) from 1-D analysis agree quite well
with the HVSR’s in terms of the predominant frequency and
amplitude at similar peak ground acceleration levels. This
suggests that the HVSR’s of S-waves can be used to improve
or constrain the soil profile, which would be better for
nonlinear site- response analysis.

Fig. 5. Vertical- and horizontal-component seismograms from an M 3.9

earthquake on February 21, 2012, at station U44A.

396
 IV. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to thank The China Strong Motion Network
Center and IRIS Data Management Center for providing the
strong ground motion records used in this study. We also
thank Meg Smath for editorial help.

REFERENCES

 
[1] Arai, H., and Tokimatsu, K., “S-Wave velocity profiling by inversion of
microtremor H/V spectrum,” Bulletin of the Seismological Society of
America, vol. 94, pp. 53–63, 2004.
[2] Herak, M., “Model HVSR-A Matlab tool to model horizontal-to-vertical
spectral ratio of ambient noise,” Computer & Geosciences, vol. 34, pp.
1514–1526, 2008.
[3] Kawase, H., Sánchez-Sesma, F.J., and Matsushima, S., “The optimal use
of horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios of earthquake motions for
velocity inversions based on diffuse field theory for plane waves,”
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol. 101, pp. 2001–
2004, 2011.
[4] Lermo, J., and Chavez-Garcia, F., “Site effect evaluation using spectral
ratios with only one station,” Bulletin of the Seismological Society of
America, vol. 83, pp. 1574–1594, 1993.
[5] Nagashima, F., Matsushima, S., Kawase, H., Sánchez-Sesma, F.J.,
Hayakawa, T., Satoh, T., and Oshima, M., “Application of vorizontal-to-
vertical spectral ratios of earthquake ground motions to identify
subsurface structures at and around the K-NET site in Tohoku, Japan,”
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol. 104, pp. 2288–
2302, 2014.
[6] Nakamura, Y., “A method for dynamic characteristics estimation of
subsurface using microtremor on ground surface,” Quarterly Report of
Railway Technical Research Institute, vol. 30, pp. 25–33, 1989.
[7] Rong, M., Wang, Z., Woolery, E.W., Lu, Y., Li, X., and Li, S.,
Fig. 6. HVSR’s of the ambient noise (a) and S-wave (b) from an M 3.9 “Nonlinear site response from the strong ground-motion recordings in
earthquake on February 21, 2012, at station U44A. western China,” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, vol. 82, pp.
99–110, 2016.
[8] Woolery, E.W., and Street, R., “3D near-surface soil response from H/V
ambient-noise ratios,” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, vol.
22, pp. 865–876, 2002.

397