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Strong Ground Motion Variation due to Local Complex Geology During the Earthquake of September 19, 2017 (Mw 7.1)

Description: 

September 19, 2017, earthquake considerably affected buildings, neighborhoods, and even plumbing lines buried in the geotechnical transition zone of Mexico City. This zone is associated with a high geological hazard due to faults, cracks, subsidence, landslides, and mine collapses. The lesson learned from this earthquake showed that much remains to be known, and detailed subsoil characterization is needed to define vulnerable sites that allow for the reduction of seismic-geological risk. This study used various geophysical methods to explore the subsoil structure under a housing unit south of Mexico City. The houses began having structural damage, and the land surface presented cracks in the last ten years, problems that were magnified after the earthquake. We apply electrical tomography, seismic noise interferometry, and H/V methods. The results show the subsoil properties vary drastically both in the lateral direction and in-depth. In particular, it highlights the presence of a discontinuity that divides the area into two different structures. Our interpretations show that observed damages could be associated with the subsoil irregularity (that substantially modifies and amplifies the seismic input motion) and the local differential subsidence produced by groundwater overexploitation.

Session: Single-station Passive Exploration Methods: Status and Perspectives [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/18/2023

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Martín Cárdenas-Soto

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Authors