Estimation of Vs30 and site classification of Bhaktapur district, Nepal using microtremor array measurement

Abstract The severe damage observed in the Kathmandu Basin, Nepal, during past earthquakes necessitates a thorough study of the seismic behavior of the basin sediments. As the shear-wave velocity is directly related to the elastic shear modulus of the material, it is essential to determine it to inc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Roshan Prajapati, Salim Dhonju, Subeg Man Bijukchhen, Michiko Shigefuji, Nobuo Takai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-10-01
Series:Earth, Planets and Space
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-024-02077-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850203875886235648
author Roshan Prajapati
Salim Dhonju
Subeg Man Bijukchhen
Michiko Shigefuji
Nobuo Takai
author_facet Roshan Prajapati
Salim Dhonju
Subeg Man Bijukchhen
Michiko Shigefuji
Nobuo Takai
author_sort Roshan Prajapati
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The severe damage observed in the Kathmandu Basin, Nepal, during past earthquakes necessitates a thorough study of the seismic behavior of the basin sediments. As the shear-wave velocity is directly related to the elastic shear modulus of the material, it is essential to determine it to incorporate the behavior of the soil in the design of the structure. Hence, we determined average shear-wave velocity in upper 30 m (Vs30) of soil in Bhaktapur district in the eastern part of the Kathmandu Basin at 73 observation points, employing two methods involving the use of non-invasive microtremor array measurements (MAMs). These MAMs are widely used for determining subsurface soil characteristics by analyzing the ambient vibrations of the ground. The first method involves inversion using a genetic algorithm, and the second is a method for obtaining Vs30 directly from the dispersion curve. We found that Vs30 in the southeastern part of the study area was higher than that in other parts. Conversely, Vs30 in the western region was lower. The calculated Vs30 values were used to classify the sites. The elevated eastern and southeastern areas with high Vs30 were categorized as dense soil or soft rock, whereas the areas with low Vs30 that had suffered significant damage during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake were classified as soft soil sites. Graphical Abstract
format Article
id doaj-art-0b93abf5b3ee41f790cf09c2245db1ad
institution OA Journals
issn 1880-5981
language English
publishDate 2024-10-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Earth, Planets and Space
spelling doaj-art-0b93abf5b3ee41f790cf09c2245db1ad2025-08-20T02:11:24ZengSpringerOpenEarth, Planets and Space1880-59812024-10-0176111410.1186/s40623-024-02077-6Estimation of Vs30 and site classification of Bhaktapur district, Nepal using microtremor array measurementRoshan Prajapati0Salim Dhonju1Subeg Man Bijukchhen2Michiko Shigefuji3Nobuo Takai4Postgraduate Department of Earthquake Engineering, Khwopa Engineering College, Purbanchal UniversityPostgraduate Department of Earthquake Engineering, Khwopa Engineering College, Purbanchal UniversityResearch and Development Unit, Khwopa Engineering College, Purbanchal UniversityKyushu UniversityHokkaido UniversityAbstract The severe damage observed in the Kathmandu Basin, Nepal, during past earthquakes necessitates a thorough study of the seismic behavior of the basin sediments. As the shear-wave velocity is directly related to the elastic shear modulus of the material, it is essential to determine it to incorporate the behavior of the soil in the design of the structure. Hence, we determined average shear-wave velocity in upper 30 m (Vs30) of soil in Bhaktapur district in the eastern part of the Kathmandu Basin at 73 observation points, employing two methods involving the use of non-invasive microtremor array measurements (MAMs). These MAMs are widely used for determining subsurface soil characteristics by analyzing the ambient vibrations of the ground. The first method involves inversion using a genetic algorithm, and the second is a method for obtaining Vs30 directly from the dispersion curve. We found that Vs30 in the southeastern part of the study area was higher than that in other parts. Conversely, Vs30 in the western region was lower. The calculated Vs30 values were used to classify the sites. The elevated eastern and southeastern areas with high Vs30 were categorized as dense soil or soft rock, whereas the areas with low Vs30 that had suffered significant damage during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake were classified as soft soil sites. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-024-02077-6Microtremor array measurementVs30Spatial autocorrelation methodPhase velocity dispersion curveSite classification
spellingShingle Roshan Prajapati
Salim Dhonju
Subeg Man Bijukchhen
Michiko Shigefuji
Nobuo Takai
Estimation of Vs30 and site classification of Bhaktapur district, Nepal using microtremor array measurement
Earth, Planets and Space
Microtremor array measurement
Vs30
Spatial autocorrelation method
Phase velocity dispersion curve
Site classification
title Estimation of Vs30 and site classification of Bhaktapur district, Nepal using microtremor array measurement
title_full Estimation of Vs30 and site classification of Bhaktapur district, Nepal using microtremor array measurement
title_fullStr Estimation of Vs30 and site classification of Bhaktapur district, Nepal using microtremor array measurement
title_full_unstemmed Estimation of Vs30 and site classification of Bhaktapur district, Nepal using microtremor array measurement
title_short Estimation of Vs30 and site classification of Bhaktapur district, Nepal using microtremor array measurement
title_sort estimation of vs30 and site classification of bhaktapur district nepal using microtremor array measurement
topic Microtremor array measurement
Vs30
Spatial autocorrelation method
Phase velocity dispersion curve
Site classification
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-024-02077-6
work_keys_str_mv AT roshanprajapati estimationofvs30andsiteclassificationofbhaktapurdistrictnepalusingmicrotremorarraymeasurement
AT salimdhonju estimationofvs30andsiteclassificationofbhaktapurdistrictnepalusingmicrotremorarraymeasurement
AT subegmanbijukchhen estimationofvs30andsiteclassificationofbhaktapurdistrictnepalusingmicrotremorarraymeasurement
AT michikoshigefuji estimationofvs30andsiteclassificationofbhaktapurdistrictnepalusingmicrotremorarraymeasurement
AT nobuotakai estimationofvs30andsiteclassificationofbhaktapurdistrictnepalusingmicrotremorarraymeasurement