Investigation of Soil Dominant Frequency using Single-Station Microtremor Method: A Case Study for Western Part of Atatürk University Campus, Erzurum (NE Türkiye)
Keywords:
Erzurum, Karasu Basin, Microtremor, Soil Dominant Frequency, Site EffectAbstract
Erzurum, located in northeastern Anatolia, is one of Türkiye's most seismically active provinces. The city is situated at the northern end of the tectonically controlled Karasu Basin, and its urbanization is currently progressing towards the basin center. The basin fill consists mostly of volcanic-origin clay, silt, sand, gravel, and blocks, with grain sizes gradually varying from the basin edges to the center. These sediments are expected to be susceptible to local site effects during strong ground motions. Therefore, determining the soil dominant frequency (f) is important, especially for areas with high residential development potential. In this context, a microtremor investigation was conducted at 78 points in the western part of the Atatürk University Campus in Erzurum (Northeast Turkey) using the Horizontal-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) method. While the soil dominant frequencies were mostly below 1 Hz, local values reached up to 15.4 Hz. Significant H/V amplitude (A) values and low f values were detected in the study area, which is located on alluvial fan deposits. The 0.12-1 Hz range corresponds to relatively long field periods and may be significant for structures whose natural periods overlap with this range. However, structural resonance cannot be assessed solely from the soil dominant frequency and also depends on the structural system and its dynamic characteristics. If this area is opened to construction in the future, a combined assessment of both building and soil-dominant frequencies is crucial. Furthermore, the findings of this passive-source study should be further validated with complementary active-source geophysical investigations.
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