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Estimating Geophysical Bedrock Depth Using Single Station Analysis and Geophysical Data in the Extra-Carpathian Area of Romania

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Abstract

Local site evaluation is an essential step in understanding the amplification of seismic motion induced by the complex geological structure and their estimation for future strong earthquakes in urban regions. One of the critical parameters on evaluating amplification effects is the depth of the geophysical bedrock, whose interface to soft sediments is responsible for the development of destructive resonance phenomena. The present study is focused on the estimation of the geophysical bedrock depth along the extra-Carpathian area of Romania (Moesian Platform and surroundings) by correlating and interpolating the results obtained from single station measurements with the available geological/geophysical data. Each site was investigated through the computation of horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratios from three-component single station measurements of ambient vibrations. The geophysical bedrock depth was computed using a two-step inversion scheme, based on the retrieval of the Rayleigh-wave ellipticity peak at each seismic station using a regional generic velocity profile. The fundamental frequency of resonance reaches the lowest value in the deepest side (0.07 Hz) and is rising to 13 Hz in the South of the Moesian Platform, where a shallow bedrock is present. The computed bedrock depths (from 30 to ~ 3100 m) show a dipping tendency towards the Southern Carpathians and complex features such as local outcrops and lateral depth variations superpose this gradually dipping trend. In the Carpathian foreland, the bedrock is interpreted as the transition between different sediment layers of Neogene, while outside this area as the Neogene—Cretaceous transition.

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Acknowledgements

This study was carried out within the Nucleu Program MULTIRISC, supported by MCI, project number PN19080102 and Alina Coman’s PhD project. Part of this work was supported by the Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe (SERA) project funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme under Grant Agreement 730900. We thank to Mihai Tapoanca and Liviu Matenco for providing us the geophysical and geological information obtained from their studies. We are grateful to the Editor, Dr. Carla F. Braitenberg, Dr. Greg Houseman and to the anonymous reviewer for their remarks and valuable suggestions, which helped us to improve the quality of this paper.

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  1. National Institute of Earth Physics, Calugareni, 12, Magurele, Ilfov, Romania

    Elena Florinela Manea, Carmen Ortanza Cioflan & Alina Coman

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA, 5500, USA

    Elena Florinela Manea

  3. Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, Atomistilor, 405, Magurele, Ilfov, Romania

    Alina Coman

  4. Swiss Seismological Service, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse, 5, Zurich, Switzerland

    Clotaire Michel & Donat Fäh

  5. Seismological Research Centre (CRS), National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), Udine, Italy

    Valerio Poggi

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  1. Elena Florinela Manea
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Manea, E.F., Cioflan, C.O., Coman, A. et al. Estimating Geophysical Bedrock Depth Using Single Station Analysis and Geophysical Data in the Extra-Carpathian Area of Romania. Pure Appl. Geophys. 177, 4829–4844 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-020-02548-3

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