Seismic site response in Siracusa

Abstract

In the frame of the Italo–Maltese research project (Costituzione di un Sistema Integrato di Protezione Civile Transfrontaliero Italo–Maltese, SIMIT), researches financially supported by the European Community were performed in the area between the south–eastern Sicilian coast and the islands of Lampedusa and Malta. Aim of these stud- ies is to mitigate natural hazards and to develop the geological and geophysical information in the investigated region. The damage to buildings further to a seismic input is tightly linked, besides their vulnerability, to both the characteristics of the maximum acceleration and frequency of the ground motion, as well as to the features of surface geology. From this point of view, the geophysical and geotechnical characterization of the soil conditions, down to the bedrock, is very important in order to identify the site effects, in terms of fundamental frequencies, for a correct planning of earthquake resistant structures.