2011/10/01 by S. E. Hough, Alan Yong, J. Altidor +3 · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · #Seismic Performance and Analysis #Seismic Waves and Analysis #earthquake and tectonic studies
paper · doi:10.1193/1.3637947
openalex publication_date 2011/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Waveform analysis of aftershocks of the M w 7.0 Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010 reveals amplification of ground motions at sites within the Cul de Sac valley in which Port‐au‐Prince is situated. Relative to ground motions recorded at a hard‐rock reference site, peak acceleration values are amplified by a factor of approximately 1.8 at sites on low‐lying Mio‐Pliocene deposits in central Port‐au‐Prince and by a factor of approximately 2.5–3 on a steep foothill ridge in the southern Port‐au‐Prince metropolitan region. The observed amplitude, predominant periods, variability, and polarization of amplification are consistent with predicted topographic amplification by a steep, narrow ridge. A swath of unusually high damage in this region corresponds with the extent of the ridge where high weak‐motion amplifications are observed. We use ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) imagery to map local geomorphology, including characterization of both near‐surface and of small‐scale topographic structures that correspond to zones of inferred amplification.