Site Classification of Kocaeli Region Based on HVSR Method

Seismic map of the world displays that Turkey is one of the earthquakes affected region due to active tectonic plates. In current research, one of the highest seismic alert zones of Turkey i.e. Kocaeli territory has been selected. The aim of this study is to classify the different sites of Kocaeli region depending on its predominant frequency ranges. More than 300 strong motion records with Richter Scale (Mw) magnitude of 4.5 to 6.5 are available on Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) site. For current region, out of total 32 stations, data recordings from 16 stations have been taken into consideration. Strong ground motion records with Mw of 3 or more have been utilized to check the consistency of graphical results by using classical HVSR technique. At the end, results of current method are compared with Eurocode8, NEHRP and the 2008 report of the micronization work done by Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and Tubitak. It is believed that the procedure adopted in current study will provide a platform to the upcoming investigators of this field.