An estimate of maximum ground surface motion

The increasing need for probability seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) of critical facilities sometimes leads to unrealistic earthquake scenarios with very high induced ground motions. From a physical standpoint these high motions cannot exist because of the limiting resistance capacity of the soil strata through which the seismic waves travel. A simple analytical model is proposed to estimate a bound to the maximum ground surface acceleration that any soil deposit can transfer. To cite this article: A. Pecker, C. R. Mecanique 331 (2003).