Modelado numérico de la respuesta sísmica 2d del valle de Caracas

during the seismic microzoning project of caracas and barquisimeto cities several geological, geophysical and geotechnical studies were carried out in caracas. in order to estimate the seismic response of the caracas valley, four seismic scenarios were defined for this study, located at the north, south, east and west of the city. for each scenario, 2d numerical simulations were carried out across 3 profiles, two in north-south direction and the other in west-east direction. the input for simulations is based on recent information obtained from geological and geophysical studies in the valley. the results obtained from numerical simulations allow us to identify the ranges of frequencies where the amplification factor of seismic waves propagation had maximum values, which will be compared with natural frequencies obtained from the h/v method. numerical simulations were applied using a 2d numerical code based on the spectral element method. the results obtained show the presence of 2d effects in the valley response and probably 3d effects induced by the geometry of the sedimentary basin, such as the palos grandes and san bernardino areas. the simulations across san bernardino show possible effects of interference between two associated sub-basins. currently, new studies are in progress with a temporal seismological network deployed in several zones of the city that will allow a future comparison of the experimental results with the results obtained from 2d and 3d simulations.