Relationship between Peak Ground Acceleration, Peak Ground Velocity, and Intensity in Taiwan

Abstract

Based on the strong-motion data set from the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquake and a shaking damage statistics database, we investigated the correlations between strong ground motions and earthquake damage (fatalities and building collapses) through a regression analysis. As a result, the current earthquake intensity scale I t is placed on a more reliable instrumental basis. This is necessary for the real-time seismic monitoring operation in Taiwan where programs for earthquake rapid reporting (RRS) and earthquake early warning (EWS) are actively pursued. It is found that the earthquake damage statistics give a much closer correlation with the peak ground velocity (PGV) than with the peak ground acceleration (PGA). The empirical relationship between PGV and the intensity I t determined in this study can be expressed as \[I_{\mathrm{t}}=2.14{\times}\mathrm{log}_{10}(\mathrm{PGV})+1.89.\] This PGV-based intensity is particularly useful in real-time applications for damage prediction and assessment, as the damage impact of high PGV is much more important for mid-rise and high-rise buildings that are characteristic of a modern society. For smaller earthquakes ( M M