5. Ground Motion Model for the 1989 M 6.9 Loma Prieta Earthquake Including Effects of Source, Path, and Site

Abstract

The objective of this study is to assess the effects of source finiteness, crustal wave propagation, and site response upon recorded strong ground motions from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Our analysis uses band limited white noise (BLWN) with random vibration theory (RVT) to produce site‐specific estimates of peak acceleration and response spectral ordinates for both a point‐source and finite‐source model. Effects of nonlinear soil response are modeled through an equivalent‐linear approach. The point‐source model additionally accommodates crustal propagation effects in terms of direct‐plus‐postcritical reflections.