Seismic Microzonation Of ChisinăU: A Tool For Reducing Seismic Risk.

The objective of the current study is to investigate the dynamic properties of soft soils in Chișinău City which is exposed to seismic hazards from Vrancea seismic sources. Empirical transfer functions for soft soils were determined using earthquake and ambient noise records. Available geotechnical surveys (measuring shear wave velocities v_s) allowed employing 1-D and 2-D numerical methods for considering soft soil effects on the parameters of ground shaking. Observations of structural damage during the 1977 and 1986 seismic events allowed the development of relationships between the parameters of ground shaking and MSK intensities. A study of the amplification capacity of sites provided the basis for locating zones with varying seismic intensities and for developing a new seismic microzonation map of Chișinău. The iso-intensity map using the MSK scale shows that variations in the expected intensity values ranged between VII and VIII for the city's area. A methodology of seismic microzonation based on a complex study of soil dynamic properties was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]