Earthquake ground-motion simulations for the Maltese Archipelago

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to provide earthquake ground motion simulations for particular earthquake scenarios, in terms of ground motion parameters for the Maltese islands. We used a stochastic approach to simulate high-frequency strong-ground motions, using an extended-source model code. This code was developed for earthquake simulations using stochastic finite-fault modelling and a dynamic corner frequency approach. The extended-source model code is a reliable and practical method to simulate ground motion records of moderate and large earthquakes especially in regions where structural damage is expected, but sparse ground motion recordings are available. In this paper, we show that in the Maltese archipelago, the ground motion from the repeat occurrence of historically recorded earthquakes, or from other potential sources, coupled with existing geological conditions and building typologies has the potential to cause significant structural damage in the area.