EARTHQUAKE GROUND-MOTION SIMULATIONS FOR THE MALTESE ARCHIPELAGO

Authors: Sebastiano D'Amico, Pauline Galea

Corresponding: Sebastiano D'Amico (sebdamico@gmail.com)

Keywords: Ground motion, Numerical Simulations, Malta, Central Mediterranean

Doi: http://dx.medra.org/10.7423/XJENZA.2013.1.01

Issue: Xjenza Online Vol. 1 Iss. 1 - March 2013

Abstract:
The main goal of this paper is to provide earthquake ground motion simulations for particular earthquake scenarios, in terms of ground motion pa- rameters for the Maltese islands. We used a stochastic approach to simulate high-frequency strong-ground motions, using an extended-source model code. This code was developed for earthquake simulations using stochastic nite-fault modelling and a dynamic corner frequency approach. The extended-source model code is a reliable and practical method to simulate ground motion records of moderate and large earthquakes es- pecially in regions where structural damage is expected, but sparse ground motion recordings are available. In this paper, we show that in the Maltese archipelago, the ground motion from the repeat occurrence of his- torically recorded earthquakes, or from other potential sources, coupled with existing geological conditions and building typologies has the potential to cause signicant structural damage in the area.

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