Summary. During the MW 5.7 and 6.0 Umbria–Marche earthquakes of 1997 September 26, the historical centre of Nocera Umbra suffered MCS intensity VII–VIII. The z

Summary. We investigate shear wave polarization in the Hayward fault zone near Niles Canyon, Fremont, CA. Waveforms of 12 earthquakes recorded by a seven-accel

Directional site effects observed at seismological stations on pronounced relief are analysed. We investigate the ground motion properties calculating horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios and horizontal polarization of both ambient vibrations and earthquake records using broad-band seismograms of the Italian seismic network. We find that a subset of 47 stations with pronounced relief results in a significant (>2) directional amplification of the horizontal component, with a well-defined, site-specific direction of motion. However, the horizontal spectral response of sites is not uniform, varying from an isolated (resonant) frequency peak to a broad-band amplification, interesting frequency bands as large as 1–10 Hz in many cases. Using 47 selected stations, we have tried to establish a relation between directional amplification and topography geometry in a 2-D vision, when applicable, through a morphological analysis of the digital elevation model using geographic information systems. The procedure computes the parameters that characterize the geometry of topographic irregularities (size and slope), in combination with a principal component analysis that automatically yields the orientation of the elongated ridges. In seeking a relation between directional amplification and the surface morphology, we have found that it is impossible to fit the variety of observations with a resonant topography model as well as to identify common features in the ground motion behaviour for stations with similar topography typologies. We conclude that, rather than the shape of the topography, local structural complexities and details of the near-surface structure must play a predominant role in controlling ground motion properties at sites with pronounced relief.

The Pernicana Fault (PF) is the main structural element of Mt Etna and the northern boundary of a section sliding to the southeast. Observed ground motion records in the damage zone of the PF show strong variations of directional resonance in the horizontal plane. The observed resonance directions exhibit an abrupt rotation of azimuth by about 30° across the fault, varying from N166° on the north side to N139° on the south. We interpret the directional resonance observations in terms of changes in the kinematics and deformation fields on the opposite sides of the fault. The northern side is affected primarily by the left-lateral strike-slip movement, whereas the southern side, that is subjected also to sliding, is under a dominant extensional stress regime. Brittle deformation models based on the observed kinematic field predict different sets of fractures on the opposite sides of the fault: synthetic cleavages and extensional fractures are expected to dominate in the northern and southern sides, respectively. These two fracture fields have different orientations (N74° and N42°, respectively) and both show a near-orthogonal relation (∼88° in the northern sector and ∼83° to the south) with the azimuth of the observed directional resonance. We conclude that the direction of the largest resonance motions is sensitive to and has transversal relationship with the dominant fracture orientation. The directional amplification is inferred to be produced by stiffness anisotropy of the fault damage zone, with larger seismic motions normal to the fractures.