Site-dependent ground-motion prediction equations and uniform hazard response spectra

Abstract A novel approach to construct site-dependent ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) was implemented to build a uniform hazard response spectra (UHRS) using a reservoir site in southern Taiwan as an example. This innovation minimizes the GMPE uncertainties to avoid over-estimations in a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). We selected ground-motion records with similar site conditions from the stations within 70 km of the studied site to build a site-dependent ground-motion prediction model for crustal earthquakes in the region. This site-dependent GMPE set obtains a significantly smaller scattering of residuals compared with the existing regional GMPEs from the Taiwan data set. This indicates that a set of site-dependent GMPEs could provide a more accurate and reasonable prediction of ground-motion levels for the design or safety evaluation of important infrastructures.