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VS30 at three strong-motion recording stations in Napa and Napa County, California — Main Street in downtown Napa, Napa fire station number 3, and Kreuzer Lane — Calculations determined from s-wave refraction tomography and multichannel analysis of surfac

October 4, 2018

The August 24, 2014, moment magnitude (Mw) 6.0 South Napa earthquake caused an estimated $400 million in structural damage to the City of Napa, California. In 2015, we acquired high-resolution P- and S-wave seismic data near three strong-motion recording stations in Napa County where high peak ground accelerations (PGAs) were recorded during the South Napa earthquake. In this report, we present results from three sites—Main Street in Downtown Napa (Northern California Seismic Network station, NCSN N016), Napa Fire Station Number 3 (National Strong Motion Project station, NSMP 1765), and Kreuzer Lane (station KRE, temporary deployment). To characterize the recording sites in terms of shallow-depth shear-wave velocities (VS), we used both surface waves (Rayleigh and Love) and body waves (S-wave) to evaluate the time-averaged VS in the upper 30 meters of the subsurface (VS30). We used two-dimensional multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) to evaluate VS from the surface waves, and a refraction tomography inversion algorithm, developed by Hole in 1992, to evaluate VS from the body waves. As determined by the various methods, we found VS30 near the strong-motion recording stations on Main Street in Downtown Napa, Napa Fire Station Number 3, and on Kreuzer Lane to be from 281 meters per second (m/s) to 286 m/s, 297 to 371 m/s, and 885 to 916 m/s, respectively. The VS30 calculated from Love waves were slightly lower (10 m/s) than those calculated from Rayleigh waves at the Downtown Napa location and at Napa Fire Station Number 3 (4 m/s); however, VS30 calculated from Love waves was higher (190 m/s) than those calculated from Rayleigh waves at Kreuzer Lane. We also found that VS30 determined from MASW for both Love and Rayleigh waves varied depending on the number of shots along the profiles, and VS30 was not systematic based on the number of shots used in the analysis. Furthermore, VS30 calculated from S-wave refraction tomography are closer to those determined from MASW calculated from Love waves than from using Rayleigh waves.

Publication Year 2018
Title VS30 at three strong-motion recording stations in Napa and Napa County, California — Main Street in downtown Napa, Napa fire station number 3, and Kreuzer Lane — Calculations determined from s-wave refraction tomography and multichannel analysis of surfac
DOI 10.3133/ofr20181161
Authors Joanne H. Chan, Rufus D. Catchings, Mark R. Goldman, Coyn J. Criley
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Open-File Report
Series Number 2018-1161
Index ID ofr20181161
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Earthquake Science Center