Estimation of Local Site Effects in Indian Scenario: Lessons from Past Earthquakes, Current Practices, and Future Trends

Abstract

The incorporation of local site effects in seismic hazard analysis has evolved radically over the last few decades. Initially, the whole site characterization was expressed by a single scalar quantity known as soil factor. The advancement in technology has paved the way for more sophisticated techniques in estimating the site response. The new-age techniques of site characterization involve field investigation as well as laboratory testing of the soil samples. The study sites are modeled in more than one dimension, and the complex phenomena of site response such as basin effects and resonance in a valley are computationally simulated. The present article outlines the state-of-the-art practices in characterizing site/soil response to tectonically induced ground shaking. The article briefs about the different methods and provides a detailed description of the computational methods for estimating the site response. The existing methodologies, their applicability, and pitfalls are presented. Additionally, the scope for future work and the direction toward improving the existing methods have been discussed. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.