Analysis of seismic ground response caused during strong earthquake in Northern Thailand

This paper presents a site-specific analysis of ground response during the Tarlay Earthquake on March 24, 2011 in Northern Thailand. In this study, the NGA (Next Generation Attenuation) models were selected to predict ground motions due to the earthquake event. The equivalent linear and non-linear approaches were employed in the one-dimensional ground response analysis. Furthermore, the spectral responses produced by the equivalent linear and non-linear approaches were compared with the seismic design code of Thailand. The results showed that the ground motion from the NGA models agree with the strong motion parameters of Tarlay Earthquake. Peak ground acceleration (PGA) at ground surface obtained from both equivalent linear and non-linear approaches certainly results in the high amplification factor. In general, the study results could bring an attention to the local engineer to consider the seismic design value for Northern Thailand, particularly if the stronger earthquake happens in the future.