3D WAVE PROPAGATION AND SITE EFFECTS IN THE HUMBOLDT BAY AREA USING STRONG GROUND MOTION RECORDS FROM THE M6.5 2010 FERNDALE EARTHQUAKE

In this study we simulated and analyzed strong ground motion data recorded in the Humboldt Bay and Eureka areas during the M6.5 Ferndale area earthquake of January 2010. The scope of the presented work was two-fold. First, we investigated the main aspects of seismic wave generation and propagation, including kinematic rupture process and 3D wave propagation scattering. Our goal is to analyze their potential effects on seismic motion recorded at free field stations across Humboldt Bay and Eureka, and test the performance of a standard broadband strong ground motion simulation technique. Second, using non-linear site response analysis, we investigated the effects of shallow sedimentary layers on strong ground motion recorded by the Humboldt Bay geotechnical array. Our study provides insight into the composition of the wave field during the earthquake and an improved understanding of how the wave field is affected by the local 3D structure and the non-linear response of the shallow sediments of the Humboldt Bay.