Applying the H/V Method to Dense Cities. A Case Study of Valencia City

Abstract

The aim of this study was to apply Nakamura's technique to Valencia city center, after some preliminary tests in Barcelona. Previous studies of Barcelona had measured periods in restrictive conditions and in various types of material ranging from very soft soil (with a predominant period of approximately 2 s) to rock (0.3 s), and under different measurement conditions. The Valencia city center measurements were taken by using the distance from buildings and car and pedestrian traffic to construct a measurement grid that was as regular as possible. We also estimated possible soil-structure interaction to detect potential vulnerability.

Keywords:

• H/V Method
• Dense Cities
• Valencia
• Ambient Seismic Noise
• Geophysical Survey
• Soil Characterization

Acknowledgments

This study was carried out with the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology, under the projects CGL-2008-00869/BTE, CGL-2005-04541-C03-02/BTE, and REN2003-08159-C02-01, and the Department of Town Planning of Valencia City Council.