Seismic S-wave coda attenuation in the Dominican Republic as a tool for seismic hazard mitigation

High-quality waveforms of the vertical and horizontal components of 1356 seismic events recorded from 2013 to 2016 by the Dominican Republic’s seismic network, were analyzed to study the local spatial distribution of the coda frequency-dependent attenuation Qc(f)−1. Qc(f) was estimated at central frequencies of 1.5 (± 0.5), 3.0 (± 1.0), 6.0 (± 2.0), and 12.0 (± 4.0) Hz and interpreted by considering the single backscattering model. Our results of the attenuation of coda waves may explain why some regions of the Dominican Republic (DR) are more prone to suffer damage due to earthquakes than other areas. The majority of the cities and towns in the DR that were severely damaged by earthquakes in the past are located in zones of low and very low coda wave attenuation. In contrast, cities located in zones of high Qc(f)−1 tend to suffer less damage. Our findings identify regions with low seismic attenuation that reflect zones with soft soils that could be impacted by future large events in the DR. These results can be used as a tool for planning seismic hazard mitigation and emergency response as well as for land use regulations.