This project aims to go beyond the current seismic risk assessment framework, incorporating recent research progresses made in earthquake data observation and numerical modelling in the near fault environment. The key scientific questions are:
- how the spatial variability and the particularity of the near-fault seismic ground motion impact the soil and the structure;
- how these seismic excitations damage and change the medium properties; and
- how the building clusters contribute to the spatial variability of the near-fault ground motion in urban environment.
In particular, we bring both numerical and observational approaches to study the 2016 Kumamoto in Japan and the 2019 Ridgecrest in California earthquakes. These events have a large number of records in the vicinity of the epicentral area, whose analysis will address questions 1 and 2 and bring an international collaboration with colleagues from Japan, USA, and Ecuador. Question 3 will be conveyed by demonstrating the impact of a building environment on the seismic risk assessment targeting the city of Quito (Ecuador), which is located on a piggyback basin created on the hanging wall of an active reverse fault. The civil engineering structure and site characteristics are known thanks to semi-dense temporary networks deployed in the open/urban transition area (ANR REMAKE, 2015-2019). Our project responds to the needs of low-probability-high-consequences (LPHC) seismic risk in urban areas subjected to nearby earthquakes faults.
This project is funded by the French ANR for a period of 48 months starting on January 2022.