Assessment of predominant frequencies using ambient vibration in the Kachchh region of western India: implications for earthquake hazards

The Kachchh region is the second most seismically active region in India after the Himalaya. One of the disastrous Indian earthquakes of the millennium was the Bhuj earthquake of January 26, 2001, which caused about 14,000 casualties and huge property damage. The main reason for such devastation is due to lack of earthquake awareness and poor construction practices. Hence, an increase in the knowledge and awareness, based on improved seismic hazard assessment, is required to mitigate damage due to an earthquake. Natural predominant ground frequencies have been investigated in the Kachchh region of western India using ambient vibrations. The horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio technique has been applied to estimate the predominant frequency at 126 sites. The ambient vibration measurements were conducted for about 1 h at each site in the continuous mode recording at 100 samples/s. We have validated the estimated predominant frequency with earthquake data recorded at six broadband stations in the region. It has been observed that geological time period has a significant effect on predominant frequency of the ground. The estimated predominant frequencies vary from 0.24 to 2.25 Hz for the Quaternary, 0.41–2.34 Hz for the Tertiary, 0.32–4.91 Hz for the Cretaceous, and 0.39–8.0 Hz for the Jurassic/Mesozoic. In the Deccan trap, it varies from 1.30 to 3.80 Hz. We found distinct variation of predominant frequencies of sites associated with hard rock and soft soil. The predominant frequencies were related to the thickness of the sediments, which are deduced by other geophysical and geological methods in the region. Our results suggest that frequencies of the region reveals the site characteristics that can be considered for studying the seismic risks to evolve a plan for disaster risk mitigation for the region. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014