Inversion of earthquake H/V spectral ratios for shear wave velocity profiling in Elazig using a dense dataset

The most recent destructive earthquakes along the Eastern Anatolian Fault occurred on February 6, 2023, in Kahramanmaras, (magnitude 7.7 and 7.6), and on January 24, 2020, in Sivrice Elazig (magnitude 6.8). These earthquakes once again highlighted the seismic hazard of the region and the potential for future destructive earthquakes. In this study, the S-wave (Vs) velocity profiles were obtained for nine strong-motion stations and nearby areas located in Elazig Province, operated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), using inversion of 1849 records from 369 earthquakes (3.0 <= M <= 6.8). For this purpose, Earthquake Horizontal-Vertical Spectral Ratio (EHVSR) and average values were calculated from the Swave and Coda wave windows of each station's record. The Vs velocity profiles for each station were calculated by applying the inversion method using the average EHVSR curves and the initial models specified for each station. The results show dominant frequencies ranging between 0.37 and 11.98 Hz, with maximum H/V ratios up to 7.06. Vs values are generally 200-1000 m/s within the top 30 m, while some stations display deeper low-velocity layers. Furthermore, it is believed that the inversion method utilized in this study can be effectively applied, particularly in thick sediment units where average Vs velocity in the upper 30 m (Vs30) may be insufficient.

Dergi

JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES

Yıl

2026

Cilt

234

ISSN

1464-343X

eISSN

1879-1956

DOI

10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2025.105897

WoS UID

WOS:001613133300001