Vs30 estimation for the seismic stations of the Egyptian seismological network in the northern part of the Eastern Desert, Egypt.

The variation in ground motion levels of an earthquake at close sites is attributed to the effects of local geology on the seismic signal. This local effect must be considered in engineering applications because it has a significant impact on the damage caused by earthquake shaking. In addition, this effect has several applications in seismology, engineering seismology, and earthquake engineering. Building codes implement this impact as a function of the shear wave velocity of the upper 30 meters of the ground (Vs30). Vs30 can be inferred from geotechnical investigations or directly measured in the field using the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW). MASW is a non-invasive geophysical technique used to determine the shear-wave velocity (Vs) profile based on the inversion of the Rayleigh wave dispersion curve. The current study concerns with measuring the Vs30 beneath four seismological stations of the Egyptian National Seismological Network (ENSN) located in the northern part of the Eastern Desert, Egypt, using the MASW technique. This region is witnessing a recent significant urban and industrial expansion. These stations are KOT, SAN_ELHAGAR, NBNS, and ZAF. The results indicate that Vs30 values range between 200 and 900 m/s. Where the Vs30 of the previously mentioned stations are 900, 250, 587.2, and 883 m/sec. According to the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP), these sites can be classified to A, C, B, and A site classes.