Applicability of different ground-motion prediction models for northern Iran
A total of 163 free-field acceleration time histories recorded at epicentral distances of up to 200 km from 32 earthquakes with moment magnitudes ranging from M <Subscript>w</Subscript> 4.9 to 7.4 have been used to investigate the predictive capabilities of the local, regional, and next generation attenuation (NGA) ground-motion prediction equations and determine their applicability for northern Iran. Two different statistical approaches, namely the likelihood method (LH) of Scherbaum et al. (Bull Seismol Soc Am 94:341–348, <CitationRef CitationID="CR62">2004</CitationRef>) and the average log-likelihood method (LLH) of Scherbaum et al. (Bull Seismol Soc Am 99:3234–3247, <CitationRef CitationID="CR61">2009</CitationRef>), have been applied for evaluation of these models. The best-fitting models (considering both the LH and LLH results) over the entire frequency range of interest are those of Ghasemi et al. (Seismol 13:499–515, <CitationRef CitationID="CR35">2009a</CitationRef>) and Soghrat et al. (Geophys J Int 188:645–679, <CitationRef CitationID="CR64">2012</CitationRef>) among the local models, Abrahamson and Silva (Earthq Spectra 24:67–97, <CitationRef CitationID="CR2">2008</CitationRef>) and Chiou and Youngs (Earthq Spectra 24:173–215, <CitationRef CitationID="CR23">2008</CitationRef>) among the NGA models, and finally Akkar and Bommer (Seism Res Lett 81:195–206, <CitationRef CitationID="CR4">2010</CitationRef>) among the regional models. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014
